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What We Found

Christmas Parade, 1893

By the 1880s the arrival of Santa Claus marked the opening of the holiday shopping season in Omaha department stores. The Hayden Brothers store sponsored an annual ...

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 ...

Christmas Shopping Season

The increasing length of the holiday shopping season has been a trend for many decades. Decorations seem to go up earlier in stores with each passing year. Seasonal ...

Christmas Trees Opposed by J. Sterling Morton

J. Sterling Morton (1832-1902) had a distinguished political career in this state, serving twice in the territorial legislature, as territorial secretary from 1858 to ...

Christmas with the Cumings

The Omaha Evening Bee, December 24, 1906, included a short reminiscence of several holiday celebrations in territorial Nebraska." "Margaret Cuming, widow of Thomas B. ...

The ‘Chutist

"Forty-eight years ago, before a large crowd of awed Coleridge townspeople and the curious from all over the county, William E. Winterringer, then a lad of 20, dropped ...

Cigar Making

Cigar making and cigar smoking in Nebraska reached their pinnacle shortly after the turn of the century. Then more than two hundred cigar makers in the state produced ...

Harriet S. Brooks, Woman Suffragist

Harriet S. Brooks (1828-1888) was the most senior of Nebraska's woman's rights activists in the years leading up to 1882. She promoted suffrage in the pages of the Omaha ...

Help Shape History

Become a Member

Being a member is the easiest way to be involved in our mission to preserve and share our state's rich history. Find out how!

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Volunteers work with History Nebraska staff members to support our mission

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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.

Upcoming Events

View our new and upcoming events to see how you can get involved.

Become a Member

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.

Become a Member

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.