The Sarpy County Seat.
All of Sarpy County was once the lower half of Douglas County. On February 1st, 1857, Douglas County was divided to form Sarpy County.
By the 1870s, settlers had increased the populous of surrounding communities. General Peter A. Sarpy's domain called "Sarpy Center" was well established and recognized. To the west was Papillion. The county seat was still in Bellevue, however, these newer communities understood the implications of holding this prestigious honor.
Legislative discussions showed there was enough interest to put the issue to a vote. It was decided that an election would be held between the three communities with the top two deciding in a second vote, and the one with the least number of votes withdrawing. In the first vote, Sarpy Center won out, with Papillion coming in second. This meant that Bellevue had to drop out.
It would seem likely that Sarpy Center would win out in the second election, however, to eliminate any possibility of losing, Major Spearman of Sarpy Center introduced a bill to the legislature suggesting that Sarpy Center be appointed the county seat and skip a second election. His plan backfired, although barely, and Papillion won the election, holding the honor to this day.
Where is Sarpy Center now? Sarpy Center has since gone the way of Fairview, Forest City, Hazelton, and Plattford, other early towns in Sarpy County.
More info. 
You can call the Bellevue tourist center at 402-293-3080 (or 800-467-2779).
Also Read
- Bellevue (Intro)
- Bellevue History
- How Bellevue got its name
- Offutt AFB Air Show
- How Bellevue lost the Territorial Capitol
