Attractions

The Mormon Pioneer Cemetery is located at 3301 State Street in present-day Florence at the north end of the city. The Cemetery is the burial site of hundreds of Mormon pioneers who lived in Winter Quarters, a temporary settlement that lasted from 1846 to 1848 as the settlers moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. It was designated a landmark by the City of Omaha in 1990.

Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) indicate that 359 Mormon pioneers were buried at the site. Remnants of three of the graves are visible today, uncovered during the erection of a commemorative monument in 1936. The monument, a bronze statue by Salt Lake City artist Avard Fairbanks, depicts parents who have committed the body of an infant to the grave. The graves of a number of Florence residents are also located in the cemetery. The community of Florence began to use the cemetery several years after the departure of the Mormons and prior to the Mormons the area had been used as an Indian burial ground. With the exception of a commemorative marker in the nearby city park, the cemetery is the only visible reminder of the Mormon settlement.

The Winter Quarters Mill Museum building was built in 1846. At that time it was called the Winter Quarters gristmill. In 1848, the mill was rebuilt. It provided agricultural support for the town of Florence. The building is registered in the National Register of Historic Places under the name of Weber Mill in order to honor the Weber family who had been millers of Florence for 104 years. The building is being renovated. Over the years, it was modified to suit the needs of farmers. The building contains the only structural remains of Winter Quarters; this mill is the oldest in the state and has been transformed into a museum. The exhibits contain historic photos, newspaper clippings and different artifacts from the pioneer era. The museum is open from 1 pm till 5 pm Wednesday through Sunday from May 1st until September 1st. In addition to this, visits can be made by appointment.

The Bank of Florence was an early wildcat bank located at 8502 North 30th Street in Florence. After originally opening in the 1850s, it closed and reopened in 1904. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is the oldest building in Omaha.

The Bank of Florence was built as a wildcat bank for speculators to make an easy profit. Many of the early investors included members of the land company that founded the nearby town of Saratoga, as well as local businessmen. When the Panic of 1857 hit, many local townspeople and farmers were financially drained. The building reopened as the Second Bank of Florence in 1904, and was restored as a landmark in the 1980s.

Today the building has been turned into the Bank of Florence Museum, which is owned and operated by the Florence Historical Foundation. Visitors can view the main bank floor, the vault, the rooms upstairs that served as the home of the original bank manager, and a restored Florence Telephone Company switchboard. The bank is open on Fridays and Sunday from May through August and on special event days. Tours on other days can be arranged by appointment.

This park is the oldest park and town square in Nebraska. It was created by the first pioneers in this area in the 1840s. In the park there is a Historical Marker telling the history of Winter Quarters. The Winter Quarters was an encampment of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They used this encampment during the winter of 1846-1847, during their voyage to the West. The encampment had approximately 800 cabins, housing 2,500 people. It was populated until 1848.