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Lincoln was chosen as the capital of Nebraska in the summer of 1867 by
three young men, David Butler, John Gillespie and Thomas Kennard, who
had been named as a commission to do this task. They have become almost
legendary figures in the minds of Nebraskans—three men in tall silk hats
silhouetted against the prairie sky as they pounded their ponies over
the countryside in search of a capital site.
They were very actual people, however; Butler was the state of
Nebraska’s first governor; Thomas Kennard, first secretary of state and
Gillespie first state auditor. Interestingly, the homes built by these
three men still stand, perhaps the three oldest houses in Lincoln.
Herewith is shown the one-time mansion of Governor Butler, which has
stood at Seventh and Washington for almost 75 years. At that time of
course there were no such streets. The mansion was a country home, from
which the governor drove to the capitol and back in state.
The original house was square and high. Built of blocks of brown stone
with a cupola and a front stoop instead of a porch it was considered
very imposing. Here Governor Butler lived from about 1867 until his
impeachment in 1871. The impeachment by the legislature came about
because of Butler’s borrowing $17,000 from the school fund. Land which
he had deeded to the state was said to have more than paid in value the
amount borrowed, and great bitterness resulted from the legislature’s
action.
“Lord” Jones, a rich Englishman, purchased the building in the early
70’s. Thirty years later the Lincoln Country club took it over and added
wings. The mansion has been used variously since as the home of the ku
klux klan, a radio broadcasting studio and a dance house. Now, hands
patiently folded, it awaits the auctioneer’s hammer.