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A Winter Fire in Downtown Omaha, Nebraska

Early on January 4, 1940, a fire broke out in the Henshaw Hotel. The hotel, located at 1511 Farnam Street in Omaha, Nebraska, was one of many hotels in the downtown ...

A New Year’s Eclipse

The most memorable feature of New Year’s Day in Nebraska in 1889 was a solar eclipse that occurred between three and four o’clock in the afternoon. The Omaha Daily ...

Sleighing Fun

  When pioneer Nebraskans wanted to get somewhere in a hurry, they waited for snow. When it snowed, sleighs appeared, adding ease and pleasure to winter ...

Skating Under Cover: Kearney’s Indoor Ice Rink

Ice skating enthusiasts in Nebraska braved winter weather and rough ice before the advent of the indoor rink made “skating under cover” a more comfortable ...

Shelton Farm Girl Remembers the WWII North Platte Canteen

By Kylie Kinley, Assistant Editor The North Platte Canteen served over six million World War II service men and women traveling on the Union Pacific railroad between ...

Marker Monday: The North Bottoms

Marker Text The North Bottoms neighborhood was settled by Germans from Russia beginning in the 1870s. During the preceding century they had colonized in Russia, ...

The Christmas Wagon Comes to Fort Robinson, 1882

Martin Weber never forgot the year he traveled through a blizzard to bring Christmas packages to Fort Robinson. In 1934 the old soldier described his 1882 adventure ...

Nebraska’s First Jewish Newspaper

By Breanna Fanta, Editorial Assistant (2021) “Newspapers are said to be the first draft of history.” A short-lived twentieth-century newspaper now provides ...

Christmas Postal Rush

"One great trouble with the Christmas business,” remarked the Nebraska State Journal of December 24, 1892, “is the habit formed by the great unthinking public of waiting ...

Marker Monday: Burlington Depot

Marker Text Built in 1897, the main section of Red Cloud’s Burlington Depot contained sleeping quarters on the second floor, and freight room, agent’s office, and ...

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About History Nebraska
History Nebraska was founded in 1878 as the Nebraska State Historical Society by citizens who recognized Nebraska was going through great changes and they sought to record the stories of both indigenous and immigrant peoples. It was designated a state institution and began receiving funds from the legislature in 1883. Legislation in 1994 changed History Nebraska from a state institution to a state agency. The division is headed by Interim Director and CEO Jill Dolberg. They are assisted by an administrative staff responsible for financial and personnel functions, museum store services, security, and facilities maintenance for History Nebraska.
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Latest Hall of Fame Inductee

The Nebraska Hall of Fame was established in 1961 to officially recognize prominent Nebraskans.

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