Nebraska was granted statehood on March 1, 1867.
The capital of the Nebraska Territory had been Omaha since the creation of the territory in 1854; however, most of the territory's population lived south of the Platte River.
After much of the territory south of the Platte River considered annexation to Kansas, the territorial legislature voted to locate the capital city south of the river and as far west as possible.
Prior to the vote to remove the capital city from Omaha, a last ditch effort by Omaha Senator J. N. H. Patrick attempted to derail the move by having the future capital city named after recently assassinated President Abraham Lincoln.
Many of the people south of the Platte River had been sympathetic to the Confederate cause in the recently concluded Civil War.
It was assumed that senators south of the river would not vote to pass the measure if the future capital was named after the former president.
In the end, the motion to name the future capital city Lincoln was ineffective in blocking the measure and the vote to change the capital's location south of the Platte River was successful with the passage of the Removal Act in 1867.

The Removal Act called for the formation of a Capital Commission to locate a site for the capital on state-owned land.
The Commission, composed of Governor David Butler, Secretary of State Thomas Kennard and State Auditor John Gillespie, began to tour sites on July 18, 1867, for the new capital city.
The village of Lancaster was chosen, in part due to the salt flats and marshes.
Lancaster had approximately 30 residents.
Disregarding the original plat of the village of Lancaster, Thomas Kennard platted Lincoln on a broader scale.
The plat of the village of Lancaster was not dissolved nor abandoned; it became Lincoln when the Lincoln plat files were finished September 6, 1867.
To raise money for the construction of a capital city, a successful auction of lots was held.

Newcomers began to arrive and Lincoln's population grew.
The Nebraska State Capitol was completed on December 1, 1868; a two-story building constructed with native limestone with a central cupola.
The Kennard house, built in 1869, is the oldest remaining building in the original plat of Lincoln.

In 1888, a new capitol building was constructed on the site of the first capitol.
The new building replaced the structurally unsound former capitol.
The second capitol building was a classical design by architect William H. Willcox.
Construction began on a third capitol building in 1922.
Bertram G. Goodhue was selected in a national competition as its architect.
By 1924, the first phase of construction was completed and state offices moved into the new building.
In 1925, the Willcox-designed capitol building was razed.
The Goodhue-designed capitol was constructed in four phases, with the completion of the fourth phase in 1932.
The capitol is the second tallest capitol building in the United States.
The completion of the original Goodhue design will be finally realized with the completion of the capitol fountains within the four interior courtyards of the capitol building in 2017.
Nebraska was granted statehood on March 1, 1867. The capital of the Nebraska Territory had been Omaha since the creation of the territory in 1854; however, most of the territory's population lived south of the Platte River. After much of the territory south of the Platte River considered annexation to Kansas, the territorial legislature voted to locate the capital city south of the river and as far west as possible. Prior to the vote to remove the capital city from Omaha, a last ditch effort by Omaha Senator J. N. H. Patrick attempted to derail the move by having the future capital city named after recently assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. Many of the people south of the Platte River had been sympathetic to the Confederate cause in the recently concluded Civil War. It was assumed that senators south of the river would not vote to pass the measure if the future capital was named after the former president. In the end, the motion to name the future capital city Lincoln was ineffective in blocking the measure and the vote to change the capital's location south of the Platte River was successful with the passage of the Removal Act in 1867.
The Removal Act called for the formation of a Capital Commission to locate a site for the capital on state-owned land. The Commission, composed of Governor David Butler, Secretary of State Thomas Kennard and State Auditor John Gillespie, began to tour sites on July 18, 1867, for the new capital city. The village of Lancaster was chosen, in part due to the salt flats and marshes. Lancaster had approximately 30 residents. Disregarding the original plat of the village of Lancaster, Thomas Kennard platted Lincoln on a broader scale. The plat of the village of Lancaster was not dissolved nor abandoned; it became Lincoln when the Lincoln plat files were finished September 6, 1867. To raise money for the construction of a capital city, a successful auction of lots was held.
Newcomers began to arrive and Lincoln's population grew. The Nebraska State Capitol was completed on December 1, 1868; a two-story building constructed with native limestone with a central cupola. The Kennard house, built in 1869, is the oldest remaining building in the original plat of Lincoln.
In 1888, a new capitol building was constructed on the site of the first capitol. The new building replaced the structurally unsound former capitol. The second capitol building was a classical design by architect William H. Willcox. Construction began on a third capitol building in 1922. Bertram G. Goodhue was selected in a national competition as its architect. By 1924, the first phase of construction was completed and state offices moved into the new building. In 1925, the Willcox-designed capitol building was razed. The Goodhue-designed capitol was constructed in four phases, with the completion of the fourth phase in 1932. The capitol is the second tallest capitol building in the United States. The completion of the original Goodhue design will be finally realized with the completion of the capitol fountains within the four interior courtyards of the capitol building in 2017.
Lincoln, Nebraska