You probably don’t expect to find a full-size D-Day landing craft in the middle of Nebraska. But here it is—tucked into Pawnee Park in Columbus. It’s part of the Andrew Jackson Higgins National Memorial, a community’s tribute to the man who invented the boat that helped win World War II—and who, as it turns out, was born in Columbus.
I partnered with Visit Columbus, NE, for this trip, and as always, the impressions are entirely my own.
Who Was Andrew Higgins?
Andrew Jackson Higgins was born in Columbus, NE, and lived there until he was about ten years old. From there, his story gets more colorful. He bounced around Omaha, enrolled at Creighton (briefly), got into fights (a lot of them), and eventually made his way to New Orleans, and that’s where most of his big accomplishments happened.
There, he got into the lumber business and started designing boats to haul logs out of the bayou. That know-how led to his invention of the flat-bottomed Higgins boat, designed for shallow water. During World War II, the U.S. military sought a boat that could land troops directly on beaches. Higgins’ design won the bid. The military built over 20,000 of the boats that carried troops ashore in Normandy and across the Pacific.
(If you’re ever in New Orleans, the National WWII Museum has a stellar exhibit about him.) However, Nebraska residents decided their hometown inventor deserved some recognition in Columbus, too, and created the Andrew Jackson Higgins National Memorial.
General Eisenhower said Andrew Higgins was “the man who won the war for us.”
Exploring the Memorial
The Higgins Boat
Front and center is a replica Higgins boat, built using the original plans. Visitors can walk right up the ramp and step inside. Actual Higgins boats are hard to find, but if you want to see the real deal, there’s one preserved at the Nebraska National Guard Museum in Seward.
Just behind the replica is something else worth checking out: an original Higgins boat motor with a very Nebraska twist. It came from a farmer near Humphrey who had served as a Higgins boat captain during the war. After he got home, he bought a surplus motor and used it for irrigation. For years. Ultimately, he donated it to the memorial.
Bronze Soldiers
Sculptor Fred Hoppe created all the statues at the memorial, starting with three: soldiers from WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Each one is based on a real person from the area—including one modeled after Hoppe’s own dad, who landed in Italy in a Higgins boat.
Later, he added a fourth sculpture honoring National Guard and Reserve members from the Gulf War. One of the figures is a woman, a meaningful inclusion that reflects the evolving face of military service.
Sand Capsules and Commemorative Bricks
Throughout the memorial are small capsules filled with sand collected from every beach where Higgins boats landed around the world. This might be one of the coolest and most under-the-radar elements. Each is labeled with the beach’s name and the war it was associated with.
The foundation has sold over 4,300 engraved bricks to date, helping to fund the memorial’s construction and upkeep. If you want to find a specific brick’s spot in the wall, the memorial’s website has a locator tool.
Flags, Lights, and Details
The site features flags from all 50 states, U.S. territories, military branches, POW/MIA, and features Nebraska and Louisiana (where Higgins lived and worked). It’s all lit up at night, and there’s a rotation schedule for the flags to help them last through the brutal Nebraska weather.
The 9/11 Connection
After the events of 2001, the foundation added a memorial featuring steel from the Twin Towers and is topped with a freedom eagle. Some of the found metal contained notes and personal items, which are now on display at the Platte County Historical Society Museum.
Final Thoughts
I never expected to find a piece of World War II history like this hidden away in Columbus, but the Andrew Jackson Higgins Memorial totally surprised me. If you’re curious like me, it’s definitely worth a stop. Plus, how often do you get to see a landing craft sitting in the middle of a park?
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