Hyde Memorial Observatory in Lincoln, Nebraska, near the center of Holmes Lake, opened in 1977 as a community astronomical observatory devoted entirely to public viewing. Run by volunteers and furnished through public donations, it was established as a public place for observing the night sky rather than as a private or purely academic facility. Its name comes from a donation by Flora Hyde in memory of her late husband, Leicester. That beginning shaped its enduring identity as a community-supported observatory serving the public.