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What We Found

Southeast Nebraska’s Oil Boom

In the latter 1930s Richardson County in Nebraska’s southeast corner was the scene of feverish excitement. The Falls City Journal announced November 24, 1938, that oil ...

Pershing for President in 1920

World War I did not produce a military hero who became President, but it did launch at least one aspirant, Gen. John J. Pershing, supreme commander of the American ...

Phonograph

The Nebraska State Journal on November 24, 1888, reported the introduction into Lincoln of a new business machine, the phonograph. The Journal reported that Edison's ...

Phrenology: Science or Entertainment?

Phrenology was a popular nineteenth-century pseudoscience that claimed a person's personality and intellect could be determined by studying the shape of the skull. It ...

Picnic Mishaps

Picnicking is one of the most enjoyable summer pastimes, and Nebraskans more than one hundred years ago enjoyed it as much as we do today. Occasionally, however, these ...

Pigs in Plattsmouth

The Nebraska Watchman (Plattsmouth) of February 27, 1873, complained of an animal control problem in town: "It seems, the citizens of Plattsmouth have no rights, the ...

Pioneer Cooking (1)

Workers of the Writers Program, Work Projects Administration, compiled information during the Depression on early Nebraska cook stoves and the fuel they used. One of the ...

Pioneer Cooking (2)

Workers of the Writers Program, Work Projects Administration, compiled information on Nebraska pioneer foodways during the Depression. They noted that corn, because it ...

Pioneer Lawyers

A common misconception about the early Plains is that the region was virtually without law. According to this belief, citizens took the law into their own hands in the ...

Pioneer Life

Reminiscences about pioneer life frequently describe droughts, blizzards, and grasshopper infestations. Job E. Green recalled a more personal event when he wrote his ...

Pioneer Recreation

An old pioneer said, "We hear much of the necessity of providing recreation and amusement for the young. I cannot remember ever hearing the matter discussed when I was ...

Pioneer Social Life

Life in Nebraska as reported by local newspapers in the first years of settlement was centered chiefly in the towns and farms along the west bank of the Missouri River. ...

Help Shape History

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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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Explore Nebraska
Discover the real places and people of our past at these History Nebraska sites.

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The work we do to discover, preserve, and share Nebraska's history wouldn't be possible without the support of History Nebraska members.

Latest Hall of Fame Inductee

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

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The work we do to discover, preserve, and share Nebraska's history wouldn't be possible without the support of History Nebraska members.
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Nebraska Collections

History Nebraska's mission is to collect, preserve, and open our shared history to all Nebraskans.

Our YouTube Video Collection

Get a closer look at Nebraska's history through your own eyes, with our extensive video collections.

Additional Research Resources

History Nebraska Research and Reference Services help connect you to the material we collect and preserve.

Support History Nebraska
Make a cash donation to help us acquire, preserve, and interpret Nebraska’s history. Gifts to History Nebraska help leave a legacy and may help your taxes, too! Support the work of History Nebraska by donating to the History Nebraska Foundation today.

Volunteers are the heroes of History Nebraska. So much history, so little time! Your work helps us share access to Nebraska’s stories at our museums and sites, the reference room, and online.