There's Something Incredibly Mysterious Hiding In Nebraska... And You'll Want To Visit

There are wonders and mysteries all around us – you just have to keep your eyes and ears open. Such is the case with a tiny building next to Victory Apartments in Omaha. It’s covered in flowering vines, tucked back away from the main walkways, and nearly invisible if you’re just passing by. But if you go up to it and take a look, you see that there’s something very special hiding underneath those tangled plants.

All images via the author

When you come up on the grotto from the front, it looks a bit like a large, unkempt shrub. But as you move closer, a little indentation appears in the vegetation.

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That spot turns out to be a heavy steel door, locked to keep out vandals.

At one time, the grotto was open to everyone who wished to visit. Inside there were candles and statues of the Virgin Mary and St. Dymphna, the patron saint of the mentally ill.

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That's because the building next to the little grotto once housed the mental health care facility of St. Joseph's Hospital.

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I visited the grotto myself in late June of 2016 after reading about it in several books and travel blogs about Nebraska. I couldn't find much about the history of the place, but just as I was about to publish these pictures with no real explanation, the Omaha World-Herald published a story of their own about this little-known Omaha relic, complete with its fascinating history. You can read it here.

According to the World-Herald's research, the grotto was built around 1910 by Edward J. Koenig, a man who made a living constructing religious grottoes. He built it by hand and modeled it after the Our Lady of Lourdes grotto in France.

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While it's impossible to go inside the grotto now to experience the tranquility it was built to provide, there is something decidedly magical about this little building. It has stood here quietly for more than a century, and lately has gone almost entirely unnoticed. There's an air of peace around it, even if the feeling of mystery is almost as strong.

The grotto is at the site of the old St. Joseph’s hospital (and next to Grace University) on Dorcas Street between 8th and 9th streets. If you decide to visit, please remember that the grotto is private property. Although you can’t go inside, the exterior is absolutely beautiful and fun to photograph.

If you want to explore some more places in Nebraska that you might not have known about before, here are 20 of Nebraska’s hidden gems.