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What We Found

Valentines for Officials

"St. Valentine's day, like Christmas, comes once a year," said the Omaha Daily Bee on February 15, 1891. "To the children it is a day of merriment. The old folks care ...

Paul Vandervoort

Paul Vandervoort (1846-1902), who once lived and worked in Omaha, is perhaps best remembered for the American colony he helped found in Cuba about 1900. Populated ...

Vifquain, Victor

Victor Vifquain (1836-1904), a native of Belgium, was one of the first Nebraskans to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor, first authorized for heroic action by ...

Vifquain’s Buffalo Hunt

Victor Vifquain (1836-1904), a Nebraska adventurer, political figure, newspaper owner, and Civil War hero, was also influential in the settlement of the Republican ...

Visit to the Penitentiary in 1875

The year 1875 saw two uprisings at the Nebraska State Penitentiary south of Lincoln. In January prisoners took the warden, William Woodhurst, and inside guards prisoners ...

W.C.T.U.’s Crusade Against Drugs

Drug abuse problems in Nebraska and the rest of the country during the late nineteenth century involved different substances than those commonly mentioned in the crime ...

Tales from Frontier Courtrooms

Before the grand brick or stone edifices, wood-framed courthouses were a big step forward from pioneer-era accommodations. Shown here is the first Saunders County ...

Dr. Mary Walker

Civil War physician Dr. Mary Walker (1832-1919) after the war became a writer and lecturer, touring the United States and abroad to speak on health, temperance, and ...

Washington’s Birthday

George Washington's birthday on February 22 was celebrated publicly for the first time in the late eighteenth century, while Washington was still president. In 1885 ...

Water Shortage

The economically devastating years of the early 1890s created hardship for many Nebraska residents. In 1893, for example, crops in Nebraska were almost totally destroyed ...

Watson, H. D., and the Watson Ranch

In 1888 H. D. Watson, a Kearney booster during its boom days of the late 1880s, established the historic Watson Ranch. He had come West from Greenfield, Massachusetts, ...

Way Back in ’67

"Children Barefoot in January," the headline read. No, it's not a news account of l990's mild weather (at least so far). This tale of an unusually mellow winter, and its ...

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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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Latest Hall of Fame Inductee

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

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Nebraska Collections

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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.