History in the making

The History Nebraska Blog

Recent News and Posts

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The Art of Making Moonshine

Law enforcement seized this still and jugs of moonshine from a Lincoln basement in 1931. We wanted to know more about it, so we asked Nebraska author and folklorist ...

Twentieth Century Sign Sees Light of Day Thanks to Construction

History is all around us, but sometimes it is out of sight. A member of our staff was walking the streets of Lincoln recently when they happened upon a piece of history ...

Danish Tug ‘o War Team

Tug of War was serious business in 1890s Nebraska. Just ask the Omaha Danes, reigning state champions in 1892. (more…)

When science met the coyote

How and why did this coyote end up in this cruel trap? The coyote was long known to Nebraska’s Native peoples. They understood its intelligence. It’s no accident that ...

How a painting helped archeologists find a lost 200-year-old site

How do you find an archeological site that’s been lost for nearly 200 years? Fifteen years ago, NSHS archeologists made the discovery of a lifetime—and they did it using ...

When a dragon boat came to Nebraska

Venting steam from its nostrils, the serpent-headed white boat moved mysteriously up the Missouri River without sails or oarsmen. The boat’s source of power may have ...

What’s inside the “Engineer Cantonment” issue of Nebraska History

The Spring 2018 issue of Nebraska History is devoted to the history and archeology of Engineer Cantonment. The 80-page magazine comes with a membership to the Nebraska ...

Is Nebraska a “Desert”? No… and Yes!

Ignore the photo above and look at the map below. Is “Great Desert” the dumbest description of Nebraska ever to appear in print? Sure, we’ve all heard “flyover country” ...

Find Nebraska on the Internet*, 1973

This is a schematic map of the entire internet as it existed in 1973. Each oval represents a single computer. Can you find Nebraska's lone connection? (Remember, a ...

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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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