economic "Panic of '57" set in and greatly distressed Saratoga's economy; the Post Office closed in 1858, and the town then stagnated until it was absorbed by Omaha. In 1858, the Douglas County Agricultural Society was organized. It held its first fair in Saratoga. The hotel did not take off, and five years later Brownell Hall began classes in the abandoned hotel building. The Episcopal school for girls opened at the location of the Saratoga Springs Hotel. The Nebraska Territory bishop paid $3500 for of land and the building. By 1869 a new school building had been constructed at 16th & Jones in Omaha and the old hotel was abandoned. Richard Siemon was the operator of the Saratoga Brewery located at the present-day junction of North 16th Street and Commercial Avenue, the presumed location of one of the area's many artesian wells. By 1863 the company was sold to Ebenezer Dallow, and eventually it became the famous Storz Brewing Company. In 1866 local citizens erected a one room schoolhouse called Saratoga School, one of the first public schools in Nebraska. In 1877 the Missouri River changed course and cut-off the Saratoga Bend, creating what became known as Carter Lake (lake), ending the community's reliance on river traffic. The community floundered for several years, and in 1887 it was annexed into the City of Omaha. Important locations Erastus Beadle residence – Built in New York and shipped to Saratoga in pieces, the house was located immediately east of the fairgrounds, which were located on the future site of the Omaha Driving Park. Saratoga School – Originally built in 1866, the school was located at 2504 Meredith Avenue. Saratoga Brewery – Opened by Richard Siemon in 1854, it was located at the present-day junction of North 16th Street and Commercial Avenue. Eventually purchased by Gottlieb Storz, it became the Storz Brewing Company. Saratoga Springs Hotel – Later serving as the first home for the Brownell Hall, it was located at North 24th and Grand Streets. Saratoga Bend – This section of the Missouri River was cut off in a large flood, forming present-day Carter Lake. Main Street – Located at 24th and Grand Streets. Druid Hall''' - Located at 2412 Ames Ave., this building was constructed by the Woodmen of the World, occupied by the Veterans of Foreign Wars and is now used by Nebraska's Prince Hall Masons Grand Lodge. Legacy In