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The North Douglas Historic District is adjacent to the north and east sides of the original commercial district of the city of Douglas. Douglas was a railroad town created by the Chicago and North Western Railroad (Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railway), which built through the region in 1886, so that its original focus was the rail yards and depot. The North Douglas Historic District represents the expansion of early residential needs to the north and east of the commercial district. It is comprised of an area containing portions of fifteen blocks of the Original Town plat of 1886 and a small portion of the Phillips Addition platted in 1906. The district is characterized by both large homes and small simply detailed houses set regularly along streets. The majority of the buildings are one-story, wood fame residences that date from the early 1890s to the early 1940s. Most were built between ca. 1903 and 1912, generally reflecting Douglas’ decade of greatest growth.

The District is important as a distinct and cohesive residential area integrally associated with and representative of the significant trends that contributed to the settlement and development of Douglas from 1886 through the 1950s. It contains a large concentration of the homes of “working class” citizens as well as the homes of a number of historically important and wealthier residents of early Douglas who played key roles in its economic, political and social growth. The pattern of homebuilding reflects the growth and development of Douglas from one of hundreds of railroad towns to a modern city and county seat with a diversified economy that today serves a regional ranching, energy, and industrial community.