Hazel Abel Park at 18th and E Streets was dedicated in the memory of Hazel Abel by her daughter, Alice Abel. Alice donated the site in 1967 and through the Altrusa Club raised money for the initial development.
Hazel Abel was an educator in southeastern Nebraska and vice chairman of the Nebraska State Republican Central Committee. She served in these roles until she was selected to complete the unexpired term of a Nebraska US Senator whom had died in office. Abel was the first woman elected from Nebraska to serve in the United States Senate.
After Hazel Abel’s death in 1966, her daughter, Alice, was determined to honor the work her mother had done for the state and country. Work for the park designed in Hazel’s memory began in 1980. The park itself consists of a French baroque-era cast iron fountain created around 1840, a renaissance-style gazebo, ornate iron fence and gate, playground on rubber surface, trees, shrubs, grass and brick walks, all of these amenities making it a “Jewel of a Park”.
All development for the park was done through donations from Alice Abel. The total cost was around one third of a million dollars and is considered one of the most expensive per square foot park in the state. The park was opened and dedicated to Hazel Abel on September 26, 1982. Alice Abel stated in the dedication that this park was intended “for something Lincoln needed”, and today Hazel Abel still stands as a jewel of a park in downtown Lincoln.