Bellevue History

1856

Built in 1856, First Presbyterian Church, 2002 Franklin St., is the oldest church in Nebraska. The church was regularly used for 100 years. It featured beautiful stained-glass windows, locally crafted oak pews and an elevated pulpit.

1948

Fort Crook was redesignated Offutt Air Force Base after local fallen World War I pilot Jarvis Offutt. It took on new challenges, contesting Cold War threats and serving as headquarters of Strategic Air Command from 1948 to 1992.

Mid-1830s

The log cabin, now located at 1805 Hancock St., is one of the oldest buildings in the state. The structure was home to a Native American chief, an early Sarpy County judge, and a Civil War veteran. The log cabin is on the National Register of Historic Landmarks.

1896

Bellevue had struggled to survive as a community, but the commissioning of a new army installation on the outskirts of the village marked the start of a special relationship Bellevue maintains with the military. Named after veteran Civil War Gen. George Crook, Fort Crook would play an important role in a number of conflicts including the Spanish American War and World War I.

1950

The Bellevue Bridge, (later dedicated as the Grand Army of the Republic Bridge) opens. Built at a cost of 2.8 million dollars, the toll bridge over the Missouri River directly connected Bellevue to Iowa and was a sign of post war progress.

If your water comes from Metropolitan Utilities District, you’ll be happy to know all the ways we work to deliver safe and reliable drinking water. That’s saying a lot when you consider we serve an average of 90 million gallons of water a day and maintain 27,000 hydrants for fire protection. See the stats, facts and figures behind what we do in the Water Quality Report on our website:

1981

Bellevue welcomes home Paul Needham. After spending 444 days in captivity during the Iranian Hostage Crisis, Captain Paul Needham received a hometown welcome.

1999

Currently one of the busiest intersections in Sarpy County, 36th Street and Highway 370 in 1999 was newly charted territory for Bellevue. Albertson’s (now Bakers) was built but much of the Twin Creek development was still a work in progress. Timeline photos and content provided by: Ben Justman Executive Director, Sarpy County Museum

1977

As Bellevue grew, it became clear that another high school was needed in the Bellevue Public School System. Bellevue West opened in 1977 and is one of four high schools in Bellevue.

1992

The end of an era was marked in 1992 when Strategic Air Command stood down and United States Strategic Command was established. SAC had been at Offutt AFB since 1948.

2019

While flooding has occasionally happened along the mighty Missouri River, the sudden and extensive flooding of 2019 was historic. While 30,000-40,000 sandbags did little to slow floodwaters, the community came together to overcome the disaster.