Last updated: September 2, 2022
Place
Weber Mill
David Calease, NPS
Quick Facts
Location:
9102 North 30th Street
Significance:
Industry
Designation:
National Register of Historic Places
MANAGED BY:
Private Property Owner
Weber Mill, in the North Omaha neighborhood of Florence, was constructed in 1856. The Weber family operated the mill for over one-hundred years, making it one of the longest running milling businesses in Nebraska.
The tradition of a mill in this location began with Mormon settlers, who selected the Florence area as their winter quarters from 1846 to 1847. During this brief stay, a rudimentary mill was erected to provide needed flour. When the Mormons continued to the Utah Territory in 1848, all that was left was the structural hulk of the first mill along Mill Creek. Using the framework of the original building, Alexander Hunter constructed a second, more substantial mill on the site in 1856.
Jacob Weber, a German immigrant who arrived in Omaha in 1857, was listed as the sole owner of the mill by 1870. He operated the mill as a country or exchange mill, meaning that he catered to the local farmers and their needs. Jacob’s son Lyman Weber operated the mill until 1964, when it was sold to the Harpster family. The mill ceased operation in 1990 and remained vacant until 1998.
The mill’s appearance today is the result of various alterations and modifications required to maintain the mill’s viability and continued use. It consists of a two-story frame, side-gabled building with an attached 53-foot grain elevator and elevated corn crib. In 1939, the building was moved 400 yards northeast from the bank of the Mill Creek to its present location, a safe distance away from the floodplain of the creek. At the time the mill had been converted to electricity and its location near a critical waterway was no longer necessary. It was moved to avoid further damage from floods. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the mill has since been renovated for use as a museum and art exhibition space.
The tradition of a mill in this location began with Mormon settlers, who selected the Florence area as their winter quarters from 1846 to 1847. During this brief stay, a rudimentary mill was erected to provide needed flour. When the Mormons continued to the Utah Territory in 1848, all that was left was the structural hulk of the first mill along Mill Creek. Using the framework of the original building, Alexander Hunter constructed a second, more substantial mill on the site in 1856.
Jacob Weber, a German immigrant who arrived in Omaha in 1857, was listed as the sole owner of the mill by 1870. He operated the mill as a country or exchange mill, meaning that he catered to the local farmers and their needs. Jacob’s son Lyman Weber operated the mill until 1964, when it was sold to the Harpster family. The mill ceased operation in 1990 and remained vacant until 1998.
The mill’s appearance today is the result of various alterations and modifications required to maintain the mill’s viability and continued use. It consists of a two-story frame, side-gabled building with an attached 53-foot grain elevator and elevated corn crib. In 1939, the building was moved 400 yards northeast from the bank of the Mill Creek to its present location, a safe distance away from the floodplain of the creek. At the time the mill had been converted to electricity and its location near a critical waterway was no longer necessary. It was moved to avoid further damage from floods. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the mill has since been renovated for use as a museum and art exhibition space.