Hello dear friends, I am so glad we have gathered together again. As the Guy Lombardo song goes, “Seems like old times, having you to walk with. Seems like old times, having you to talk with.” I am always glad to share our special time and let you in on my 1940s snow covered dream world. I am especially happy today as I type this because Mr. Cassette has announced we will have a fire tonight…so delightful and since we’ve no place to go, I say Let it Snow! I’ve even got some corn for poppin’. I do love a good snow. But before the lights are turned way down low…where were we? Oh yes, today the business at hand is, first and foremost, to extend a warm hello and that I hope you have a healthy and happy new year. If you are new to the page, I welcome you.
Secondly, some will note with my book having finally come out that we’ve got a number of new friends joining us for the first time. I received a recent comment from a new sleuth to our group wondering where to find the supplemental images that I had mentioned in my book. Another email came in asking the same, so I thought it a good idea to iron this out publicly. We’ve got heaps of adventures here. Thanks for reminding me what it might look like to a newcomer. So although I won’t be tidying up any time soon, I hope you will take these tips like a trusty flashlight and small trowel and begin to make your own way.
Those of you who have been around a while know that four of the stories from My Omaha Obsession: Searching for the City are actually old investigations from the website. My publisher thought this selection might offer a wider view of my work to a new audience. If you are new or a regular to the detective agency and just so happen to be looking for these original articles or having a hard time rifling through all of these dossiers, then This Is For You.
I have included the five links to the original investigations where you will find many more photos, family ephemera, maps and other strange things I thought essential to include initially. And I still uphold this belief but a publisher has editing, page limits and financial concerns in mind when making cuts, you understand.
Chapter One from the book was renamed “The Mysteries of 4025 Izard Street.” The original investigation with supplemental evidence is found here: Mysteries of Omaha: 4025 Izard Street
Chapter Two appears in the book as “The Adventure of Twenty-Fifth Street.” This was a great two-parter on the blog, with many additional clues and can be found here: Mysteries of Omaha: 3825 South 25th Street and Mysteries of Omaha: 3825 South 25th Street Part Two.
Chapter Three, “For the Love of Rose Lodge” can be found following this link: For the Love of Rose Lodge.
Chapter Seven, “The Curse of the Clover Leaf Club” is found at: The Curse of the Clover Leaf Club.
Thirdly, for those who are wondering, a Snooping Shelly can always go to the top of any My Omaha Obsession website page and look on the right hand side of the screen for the tiny, grey magnifying glass. When a Prying Patrick clicks on said magnifying glass “write and hit enter” pops up. This feature will allow a person to search my writings for an address, a proper name or something specific like “Harding Ice cream,” “gay” or “West Omaha.” I hope this helps you. Sometimes we get turned around here and I recognize there is now an awful lot to sift through.
Sad attempts at a tutorial but I hope you get the idea.
Fourthly, I have heard from little birdies around town that some local sleuths have been going on divine walking and driving tours of the My Omaha Obsession mystery locales mentioned on the website and in the book. This tickles me to no end (!) and was my dream in starting the website—encouraging people to get out, LOOK, feel, and perceive with their child hearts. I sensed that others might feel as I did. You like these delicious things, yes. You have more than proven that.
As this is not straight history, and oft times not even a smidge of history, I understood that what we do is not a perfect fit for many. Some have let that be known, but I am not one for groveling on the earth. As you well know, I am no historian and much prefer a certain amount of smoky plot and intuition to actual hard facts. I like whimsy. I like making up words. I like dreaming. I prefer scattering hints, leading with my soul and flying by the seat of my pantelones! There–I admit it.
What was my point again? Oh here it was….my fourthly thought. I am wondering if anyone would be willing to share photos with me (us) of these galpal and guysleuth My Omaha Obsession missions for an upcoming story? It would be so fun to incorporate photos of you on your Nancy Drew expeditions. I would also treasure any photos that people would like to send of themselves or friends or animals reading my book. Or even YOU with a magnifying glass or in a detective costume. I know you have one laying about. Just a Nagging Nelly point of reference for the overzealous in the bunch: as always, a tender reminder– please do not disturb our Omaha friends who actually live in these great homes. Let us not be bothersome and I encourage all to have awareness of others’ need for privacy. Please send your photos to myomahaobsession@yahoo.com to have them included in my anniversary post. Thanks for considering.
If you like what you see, you can keep up with my latest investigations by joining my email group. Click on “Contact” then look for “Sign me up for the Newsletter!” Enter your email address. It will then display “Thank you, your sign-up request was successful!” Make sure to check your email address to confirm. You will get sent email updates every time I have written a new article. Also feel free to join My Omaha Obsession on Facebook.
© Miss Cassette and myomahaobsession, 2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Miss Cassette and myomahaobsession with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
If you are looking for more architectural and Omaha history sleuthing fun, ask your local or bigbox bookseller for my new book. You can also find it anywhere books are sold online: My Omaha Obsession: Searching for the City. Thank you.
Miss Cassette, thanks very much for quoting the Lombardo tune, written by Guy’s brother Carmen. To this day I can still hear the melody begun by a muted trombone as Arthur Godfrey used “Seems Like Old Times” for his opening theme.
With your interest in 96 th street and the hidden treasure on the NE corner, this may also interest you.
After selling Bella Machree in late 1946, my father moved to a home on 79 th just long enough to start building a new home at 701 so. 96 th,. I think the west Pacific area was always a favorite spot for both him and Jacky. I believe he purchased the land from Dan Carey, who I think owned a large area there. It was a very pretty ranch style home, patterned after one featured in Better HOMES & Gardens in 1947 or 1948.
My growing family spent severa.l happy holidays there in the early 1950’s, with the children sliding down the hill in the back. (before any other homes or streets were built there)
I suspect you may have passed by the property many times in past years, but as. You would note now, the home was greatly changed in appearance around 2001. Just as Bella Machree was changed a bit over its lifetime, 701 was too.
If you are interested , we still have a few pictures of the home after it was built.
Please keep sleuthing, the family enjoys it, even from afar.
Ed
I just finished My Omaha Obsession. I truly enjoyed it.
I’ve lived in Omaha since 1962 before the Interstate went through. I once lived at a big, white prairie style house that was torn down and became the parking lot at St. Joseph Hospital on N 30th St. I had worked at the old St. Joseph on South 10th St. and was one of the first employees to work at the new location. There wasn’t any heat in the building so I was working in a winter coat for a couple weeks. The new hospital was decorated in bright, 1970s colors that could knock your eyes out.