Thriving Papillion Businesses

Thriving Papillion Businesses. . , Sarpy House , Papillion's First Hotel , The Sarpy House, Papillion's first hotel, located at 146 N. Washington St., was built in 1870 by John Eisele. The building was two stories and boasted a barroom and barber shop plus a small overhanging veranda facing the village's main street. The hotel expanded after Papillion became the county seat and business flourished. The veranda became the "seat-of-choice" for visiting dignitaries during parades. The town's original water well was located behind the hotel, which allowed travelers to water their horses before lodging them overnight in a nearby stable. When prohibition became effective May 1, 1917, the Sarpy House was forced to close due to most of its business coming from the barroom. Following the hotel's closure, the building was purchased by the Uhe Manufacturing Company and reopened as an implement warehouse and display room in late April 1920. It later housed the Uhe Hardware Store. , The Banking House of A.W. Clarke Company, purchased the Uhe building on August 29, 1945. This spot was considered the best located business corner in Papillion at the time. The original structure was torn down in April 1946 due to deterioration. In its place, a new two-story building was built in 1948, with the town's post office occupying the first floor of the building. Bank of Papillion also occupied the building, followed by the community's first steakhouse that opened in January 1976. , The Papillion Times , Second Location , The Papillion Times debuted on November 26, 1874, and has served as the city's local newspaper ever since. It was originally located on Jefferson Street but moved into the basement of the A.W. Clarke Bank building at 114 N. Washington in 1903. , The newspaper relocated to 138 N. Washington St. in 1907. The old bank building at Portal was wrecked and materials from the bank were used in the construction of this building. In the 1960s, the Papillion Times purchased the two-story brick building just north of its original building in order to expand its publishing business. , It is in this building that the Miller family operated the weekly newspaper company until it was purchased by Suburban Newspapers, Inc. (known as the Omaha World-Herald) in July 1980. George P. Miller, Sr. ran the paper for 46 years until his death in 1949. His three sons then took over operations. , Bell Drug Store , Built in 1915 by Fred Bell, the two-story brick Bell Drug Store quickly became a familiar Papillion landmark. In its early years, it included banking services, a hardware store, and a grocery store. The second floor of the building was known as Bell Hall, where many dances, social events, bingo games, and basketball games were held. The upper floor even housed a roller-skating rink in the early 1900s. In June 1939, the upper floor of the building opened as the Community Theater, holding shows every Thursday evening for 10 cents per show. , Bell owned and operated this location until he retired in 1952. His daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Paul L. Khul, continued to operate the family business until 1962. Since then, the building has had numerous owners and uses. The original building still stands today.