History in the making

The Nebraska State Historical Society Blog

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Fort Robinson Museum opens, June 3, 1956

Dinnertime at the fort: one ton of rolled beef roasts, cooked in two thirty-foot-long, five-foot-deep pits over wood coals; 250 lbs. of hot dogs; plus pork and beans, ...

Marker Monday: The Fort Robinson Cemetery

Marker Text The first recorded interment in the Fort Robinson Cemetery was James Brogan, July 2, 1875; the last was Fred Lester, June 13, 1945. Among the 258 interments ...

When the women of Wahoo’s JFK College took on the Chinese national basketball team, 1973

  By David L. Bristow May 24, 2023 Fifty years ago the women’s basketball team of tiny John F. Kennedy College in Wahoo traveled to China for a series ...

In Her Own Voice: Oral Histories of Farm Women

Throughout history, literacy and access to the materials required to record day-to-day life and experiences have been limited to those with the time, ability, and ...

The Baysdorfers, Nebraska’s first aviators

By David L. Bristow   When Charles Baysdorfer prepared for takeoff near Waterloo, Nebraska, not only was he piloting a homebuilt biplane on its maiden flight, ...

The man who scored Nebraska’s first-ever touchdown died in the Soviet Gulag

  By David L. Bristow, Editor May 17, 2023   Consider these three people: A young man who scored the University of Nebraska’s first-ever ...

History Nebraska Awards $328,000 through Historic Preservation Grant

History Nebraska has announced the recipients of the Rural Nebraska Historic Preservation (RNHP) grant, which assists owners of National Register of Historic Places ...

Helen Keller Shocked at Nebraska’s Poor Financial Assistance for the Blind

  It’s 1947, and the Nebraska legislature has not passed funding for educating and rehabilitating people with vision loss for twenty-five years. Who are ...

Help Shape History

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About NSHS

The Nebraska State Historical Society was founded in 1878 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 NSHS from a state institution to a state agency. The division is headed by Interim Director Cindy Drake. They are assisted by an administrative staff responsible for financial and personnel functions, museum store services, security, and facilities maintenance for NSHS.

Explore Nebraska

Discover the real places and people of our past at these NSHS sites.

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NSHS Education

Learn more about the educational programs provided at our museums, sites, and online.

Education Digital Learning Resources

Find games, lists, and more to enhance your history education curriculum.

Latest Hall of Fame Inductee

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

Listen to our Podcast

Listen to the articles and authors published in the Nebraska History Magazine with our new Nebraska History Podcast!

Nebraska Collections

NSHS'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

NSHS's Research and Reference Services help connect you to the material we collect and preserve.

NSHS Services

Digital Resources

Find all of our digital resources, files, videos, and more, all in one easy-to-search page!

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Make a cash donation to help us acquire, preserve, and interpret Nebraska’s history. Gifts to the Nebraska State Historical Society help leave a legacy and may help your taxes, too! Support the work of NSHS.

Volunteers are the heroes of NSHS. 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.