Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
“Warren's Opera House is a historic building in Friend, Nebraska. It was built by John Lanahan for Joshua Warren, a wealthy Canadian grain merchant, in 1885-1886.”
Wikipedia article Warren's Opera House, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 17 National Register listings published here for Saline County · listed in 1988 · category: Building.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service · the Wikipedia article
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 25 fires within 5 miles of Warren's Opera House between 2001 and 2020, burning about 233 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 14 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 2 |
| Fireworks | 1 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 September 2020 | Debris and open burning | 5.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 20 September 2010 | Debris and open burning | 5.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 11 August 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 1 August 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 4 July 2013 | Fireworks | 1.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 23 July 2013 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 10 July 2006 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 9 June 2016 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Friend, the town this property stands in, in 78 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 37 hail, 30 thunderstorm wind, 4 flash flood, 2 tornado. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Friend | $16,130,000 | A strong line of severe thunderstorms swept across Saline County, Nebraska, on the morning of August 9th, 2025, producing a swath of damaging straight-line winds, particularly impactful across the northern portion of the county. The damage swath extended from the area around Friend eastward toward Dorchester and then southeast to Crete.||The most intense winds were reported in Friend, where an emergency manager documented widespread damage including trees down, power outages, roof damage to businesses, and estimated winds gusting between 80 to 90 mph. A separate measured report from an emergency manager in Friend measured a wind gust of 84 mph. Further impressive damage was reported east of Friend, near Dorchester, where emergency management noted wooden power poles snapped for approximately 10 miles, with winds estimated at 90 mph in this area.||Moving southeast, the damaging winds continued to affect the Crete area, where a measured gust of 64 mph was recorded by a public weather station 6 miles south-southwest of Friend. Other public reports from Crete included a large tree down around the intersection of 8th or 9th Street and Grove Avenue, as well as large tree branches falling onto a house. Winds in the Crete area were estimated to be between 70 to 80 mph. A less damaging, measured gust of 58 mph was also reported south-southeast of Dorchester.||The collective property damage to public infrastructure from this damaging wind swath is estimated to be $16,129,296.00. This figure reflects only the costs associated with repairing public assets and does not account for the extensive damage sustained by private and commercial properties throughout Saline County. |
| July 1994 | Hail | Friend | $5,000,000 | Baseball-size hail was reported on the east side of Friend. The hail covered the ground and produced moderate damage to trees and vehicles. Crop damage in some fields was up to 70 percent. Power was out in Friend for several hours. Many homes received roof damage. Some windows were also broken. |
| April 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Friend | $500,000 | A line of fast moving thunderstorms bowed across southeast Nebraska and southwest Iowa this day bringing thunderstorm wind gusts of 60 to 80 mph. This was the first report of damage in the Omaha/Valley NWS coverage area with this line. As the storm went through Friend, more than 10 farmsteads sustained damage to outbuildings and equipment. At one farm a roof was blown off of a horse barn and machine shed, and a horse trailer was destroyed injuring 2 horses, also a fifth-wheel camper trailer was rolled. Irrigation pivots were also overturned, damaged and/or destroyed. |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Friend | $400,000 | A thunderstorm microburst with winds estimated at over 70 mph destroyed outbuildings and caused extensive tree and vehicle damage near Friend. |
| May 2007 | Flood | Friend | $100,000 | Heavy rain over 3 days caused Turkey Creek to flood across much of Saline county. The creek at Wilber crested at 16.44 feet during the morning hours of May 7th, flood stage is 11 feet. The creek at Wilber first crossed flood stage around 745 pm CDT on the 5th and didn't drop below flood stage until a little after noon on the 8th.| |The Creek flooded across Highway 103 causing its closure near Wilber. Flooding from Turkey Creek and the Big Blue River also caused 100 county road washouts and closed 20 county roads. Flooding of agricultural lowlands also occurred. Flood damage from both Turkey Creek and the Big Blue River was estimated at $100,000. |
| July 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Friend | $15,000 | Thunderstorm wind gusts over 60 mph blew over several telephone poles 3 miles east of Friend. Large tree branches were also downed. |
| July 1997 | Lightning | Friend | $2,000 | Lightning struck a building and knocked out some bricks. |
| April 2025 | Funnel Cloud | Friend | - | Public caller reported a funnel cloud to the their south from Highway 7 near Friend, Nebraska. |
| September 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Friend | - | Public report received via social media of a large tree branch down on a house near Friend, NE. |
| April 2024 | Funnel Cloud | Friend | - | The fire department in Friend, Nebraska called the office to report a funnel cloud. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Friend | - | A 63 miles per hour wind gust was measured by a personal weather station. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Friend | - | A CO-OP observer reported a measured wind gust of 59 miles per hour. |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Friend | - | A 59 miles per hour wind gust was measured by a personal weather station. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Friend | - | A personal weather station measured a peak wind gust of 62 mph. |
| June 2022 | Hail | Friend | - | Trained spotter reported 1 inch hail. |
| June 2021 | Hail | Friend | - | Trained spotter reported 1.25 inch hail. |
| December 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Friend | - | Public reported strong wind capable fo breaking 2-3 inch diameter limbs and 0.88 inch hail. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Friend | - | Mesonet station recorded wind gust of 62 mph. |
| October 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Friend | - | Personal weather station measured a wind gust of 58 mph. |
| June 2019 | Flash Flood | Friend | - | The public reported flooded farm fields between Dorchester and Friend. Water also over a few county side roads. |
| June 2019 | Heavy Rain | Friend | - | Observers reported 2.2 to 2.51 inches of rain in the last couple of hours. |
| October 2019 | Flash Flood | Friend | - | Water was reported over the road near the intersection of Nebraska State Highway 15 and County Road L. |
| June 2018 | Tornado (EF0) | Friend | - | Doors were blown off a barn, most of the roof panels were blown of a shed and thrown downstream, large tree branches were blown down, and a path of corn in a herringbone pattern occurred from a brief tornado 8 miles south southwest of Friend. |
| June 2018 | Tornado (EF1) | Friend | - | A second tornado started approximately 7 3/4 miles south of Friend and traveled 1.4 miles in a west to east direction. A storage shed moved over 1000 feet from where it started. Trunks of trees and large tree limbs were snapped, and metal panels were blown off a shed. |
| May 2016 | Flash Flood | Friend | - | Numerous reports of flash flooding in Saline County were received. The main areas affected were in the Friend, Dorchester, and Tobias areas. Water was reported in the basement of homes, State Highway 15 was closed, and several rural gravel roads were impassible. |
| June 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Friend | - | Spotter reported winds in excess of 60 mph, possibly as high as 70 mph. Tree branches were blown down at the residence. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Friend | - | Spotters reported wind gusts to 65 mph. |
| June 2013 | Hail | Friend | - | Hail, in some cases a little larger than golf ball-size even measured a few hours after the storm, caused scattered crop damage near Friend. There were still some small drifts of hail left in the fields a few hours after the storm as well. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Friend | - | Hail from quarter to golfball-size fell west through southwest of Friend. Most of the hail was quarter-size. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Friend | - | Home weather equipment measured a thunderstorm wind gust of 65 mph. The report was relayed by emergency management. |
| August 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Friend | - | A cooperative observer near Friend measured a thunderstorm wind gust at 65 mph. The winds downed many trees and large tree limbs in the area. Some of the fallen trees damaged the roofs of a few homes, blocked several streets in town and caused scattered power outages. |
| July 2008 | Flash Flood | Friend | - | Slow moving thunderstorms dropped rainfall that was unofficially measured at 6 inches just south of Friend. The heavy rain caused flash flooding across a few county roads in the area. |
| July 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Friend | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at around 60 mph knocked over a large tree in Friend. |
| May 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Friend | - | Emergency management estimated that thunderstorm wind gusts over 60 mph blew down a large cottonwood tree in town. |
| May 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Friend | - | Thunderstorm winds were estimated at 60 mph south of Friend. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Friend | - | Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 mph caused some tree damage at a cemetery near Friend. One tree damaged a headstone it fell on. |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Friend | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated by a trained spotter at 60 mph downed two large trees that blocked a street on the south edge of town. Numerous other smaller limbs were downed across the town from this storm which was accompanied by nickel size hail. |
| July 2005 | Hail | Friend | - | The hail was accompanied by wind gusts estimated at 60 mph which caused some tree damage in town. |
| August 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Friend | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 70 mph blew a 60 foot by 80 foot roof off of a business in town. |
| April 2002 | Hail | Friend | - | The hail was accompanied by thunderstorm wind gusts of 55 mph. |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Friend | - | Thunderstorm winds uprooted a tree in Friend causing damage to a house. |
| August 2001 | Hail | Friend | - | The hail was accompanied by thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at over 50 mph. |
| May 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Friend | - | 70 mph thunderstorm wind gust reported by ham radio operator. |
| July 2000 | Hail | Friend | - | Hail up to 1 inch in diameter lasted for around 5 minutes west of Friend. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Friend | - | Tree limbs downed. |
| August 1994 | Hail | Friend | - | Hail, up to golfball-size, damaged trees, two grain bins and 48,000 acres of crops. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Friend | - | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Hail | Friend | - | no account filed |
| June 2017 | Hail | Friend | - | no account filed |
| June 2017 | Hail | Friend | - | no account filed |
| June 2017 | Hail | Friend | - | no account filed |
| May 2016 | Hail | Friend | - | no account filed |
| May 2016 | Hail | Friend | - | no account filed |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Friend | - | no account filed |
| December 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Friend | - | no account filed |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Friend | - | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Hail | Friend | - | no account filed |
| October 2013 | Hail | Friend | - | no account filed |
| June 2013 | Hail | Friend | - | no account filed |
| June 2013 | Hail | Friend | - | no account filed |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Richard R. Kiddle House | 0.5 miles | 1985 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 88000945 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Saline County | All 17 listed properties in this county. |
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