Opening Reception for Looking Past Skin: Our Common Threads
Celebrate the opening of our latest exhibit, Looking Past Skin: Our Common Thread. This exhibit highlights the history of migration in Nebraska from pre-history to the present. It also serves as an introduction for many people to the newest Nebraskans. Discover more about the Karen, Sudanese, Yazidi, Vietnamese, Latino, and Somali cultures.
Join us to view this exhibit and see Karen dancers perform a traditional dance in traditional clothing. Refreshments will also be provided.
Free Family Fun Day
Learn about Japanese culture through origami and calligraphy
Listen to a music performance by Wataru Niimori at 3:00 p.m. in the Blackman Auditorium
Read Japanese children's books in the Read Aloud reading nook
Enjoy a mini tour of Looking Past Skin: Our Common Threads exhibit
Brown Bag Lecture Series - Century-Old Time Capsule Exposes Forgotten NU Histories
On May 12, 2014, the Avery Hall cornerstone on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus was chiseled open to retrieve the time capsule inside. This capsule contained a collection of objects that summed up the Department of Chemistry as it was in 1916. Here was the sole copy of a biography about Dr. Rachel Lloyd, America's first female PH. D. in Chemistry and UNL's second chemistry professor. She was instrumental in bringing the sugar beet industry to the state of Nebraska. Learn what his time capsule added to UNL's rich history.
Exhibit Opening and Artist Talk
Hear artist Jim Lommasson speak about his work in What We Carried: Lincoln, an exhibit that tells the story of the Yazidis in Lincoln, Nebraska
First Friday Opening Reception
View the new exhibit What We Carried: Lincoln, a collaborative photo storytelling project of the Yazidi community and photographer Jim Lommasson.
Enjoy Yazidi music at 5:30 p.m.
Noon Bites
Hear Melissa Marsh, author of Nebraska POW Camps: A History of World War II Prisoners in the Heartland give historical context to the sailing ship made by a German POW while serving time in Nebraska.
Brown Bag Lecture - Freedom North: Uncovering the Civil rights Movement in Omaha
What did the black freedom movement of the 1960s look like in Nebraska? Patrick D. Jones, Associate Professor of History and Ethnic Studies at UNL, will draw on artifacts from the Great Plains Black History Museum to answer that question and explore the civil rights era in Nebraska's largest city.
Free Family Fun Day: Polish Culture
Learn about Polish culture, history, and traditions with our second Free Family Fun Day of the year!
At this event you and your family will:
- Enjoy Polish storytelling
- Create Polish crafts
- Hear traditional Polka music performed by John Szalewski
- Learn from Larry Molczyk about the Polish Americans who settled in Central Nebraska
This Free Family Fun Day is funded in part by Humanities Nebraska and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment. It is also a collaboration with The Polish Heritage Society, Polish Home Omaha, and Polish Heritage Center in Ashton.
Then and Now: Travel and Transportation
Geography has always guided the movements and histories of people. The location of rivers, passes, valleys, and mountains encouraged or discouraged travel. Resources made people decide where to move and stay. Emily Houck, Nebraska Panhandle Conservation Director, will show how the geography of Nebraska affected our nation's history.
Join us at the Ethel S. & Christopher J. Abbott Visitor Center for a free lecture as part of our Sunday Afternoon at the Rock 2018 series! The program begins at 1:30 pm and lasts an hour. Call ahead in case of inclement weather
Community Dialogue
Join in a community dialogue with Koang Doluony, founder of the Omaha Talons Academy and Seth Mock, founder and President of The Midwest Museum of African Art.
Mr. Doluony founded the Omaha Talons organization to fill a vital need for youths in the South Sudanese diaspora community in Omaha, Nebraska. Using sports as a vehicle, he advocates for education, healthy food access, and empowerment of the community to advance the opportunities for young people. He instills responsibility, accountability, and work ethic in his daily mission. Many of the young people he works with have gone on achieve incredible feats and overcome seemingly insurmountable odds.
The Omaha Talons strives to empower and motivate Omaha area youth, specifically South Sudanese immigrants and refugees, and improve leadership, citizenship, health and their educational skills by providing a safe, positive environment with mentorship and community support.
This program is funded in part by Humanities Nebraska and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment.
Can We Take the Elevator to the Top?
Chimney Rock is a very common name for landmarks. While we like to think of ours as the most famous, there are a LOT of Chimney Rocks around the country. Some of them are even famous in their own right. Loren Pospisil from the Chimney Rock Visitor Center will talk about these multiple Chimney Rocks and share some stories of public confusion.
Join us at the Ethel S. & Christopher J. Abbott Visitor Center for a free lecture as part of our 2018 Sunday Afternoon at the Rock series! The program begins at 1:30 pm and lasts an hour. Call ahead in case of inclement weather.
Digital Preservation Assessment Workshop
Calling all representatives from libraries, archives, museums, and area cultural heritage institutions!
The Nebraska History Museum will be hosting a workshop run by LYRASIS consultant Leigh Grinstead intended to introduce digital preservation strategies and techniques to area institutions. If you've been looking for information on the basics of digital preservation (not digitization), then this is perfect for you!
Participants will gain:
- An understanding of the challenges of digital preservation and the ways that assessment can make those challenges more manageable.
- Knowledge of the steps of digital preservation assessment.
- The tools to perform a basic digital preservation assessment of your own collections.
Sounds like something that's right for you? Register Here!
Nebraska Historic Preservation Conference
Spend the day gathering ideas, solutions and inspiration to restore and preserve older homes and buildings. The Nebraska Historic Preservation Conference, March 2, at Metropolitan Community College, Fort Omaha Campus. Costs is $50 with discounts for Restoration Exchange and Nebraska State Historical Society members. Registration opens February 2. For more information go to http://www.restorationexchange.org/events/preservation-conference/
Witness the Weird!
Get a behind the scenes look at the secret places we keep 151 years worth of the odd, strange, and unusual.
Artifacts and oddities include:
- The Blud-Rub
- The "My Dream Doll" of nightmares
- William J. Bryan's portrait inside a pig's rear-end
- A shotgun gopher trap
Other activities will include a reenactment of the Pioneer Zephyr train cutting its own birthday cake and a some music played on a Wiebe hand-crafted violin. Families will also be able to hear Nebraska stories in Read Aloud stations on all three floors of the museum, take a look inside one of our traveling historical trunks, and see how archeology is like a puzzle.
The Mormon Trail and What it Means Today
All 16 of Jack Whittier’s great-grandparents passed by Chimney Rock and Scotts Bluff, as they crossed through the North Platte Valley on the Mormon Trail. Whittier, director of the University of Nebraska Panhandle Research and Extension Center at Scottsbluff, will speak about how the westward migration of early pioneers along the Mormon and Oregon trails contributed to the settlement of the west. He will discuss the culture and stories he’s heard all his life and that have become all more real to him since moving to Scottsbluff.
Join us at the Ethel S. & Christopher J. Abbott Visitor Center for a free lecture as part of our 2018 Sunday Afternoon at the Rock series! The program begins at 1:30 pm and lasts an hour. Call ahead in case of inclement weather.
Noon History Bites
The use of pottery was a technological breakthrough, protecting food from the elements and allowing it to be stored longer. Nebraska State Historical Society Highway Archeologist Nolan Johnson will talk about one specific restored pot from Platte County, the site it came from, and where it fits in the larger picture of Nebraska archeology.
Community Dialogue
Join members of the Lincoln Yazidi community, the largest in the United States, for a conversation at the Nebraska History Museum. Learn about their rich culture and history through a discussion curated by Hadi Pir and Laila Khoudeida, co-founders of the Yazda Cultural Center. Ask questions, learn new things, and make new friends!
Introduction to Genealogy
Have you ever wondered how to find out more about your family’s history? Floyd Smith, Director of the West Nebraska Family Research & History Center, will help to get you started and tell about the resources available at their center. With today’s tools and resources, genealogy is getting easier and is a lot of fun.
Join us at the Ethel S. & Christopher J. Abbott Visitor Center for a free lecture as part of our Sunday Afternoon at the Rock 2018 series! The program begins at 1:30 pm and lasts an hour. Call ahead in case of inclement weather.
Sunday at the Neihardt Center: Churches and Schools in Rural Communities
Sociologist Dr. Paul Campbell will discuss how the roles of individual school districts and parish churches change as rural small towns either diminish or increase in size throughout the years.
Hour at the Museum
School is out this week, so what better time to go beyond the textbook and learn about some history? The Nebraska History Museum is offering a special hour-long event that offers kids the chance to hear excerpts from an immigration story, participate in a fun crafting project, and discover a fascinating museum exhibit.
Brown Bag Lecture - Japanese Nebraskans in the North Platte Valley, 1900-Present
The North Platte Valley Japanese community has been around since 1900, yet most have lived almost their entire lives under that radar. They could not become U.S. citizens until 1952 when most were 50 and older. Few Nebraskans know about these immigrants and their experiences in this state. Now is the time for their stories to be included in Nebraska’s history. Sandra Reddish, Nebraska State Historical Society Historic Sites Coordinator, will be telling their story.
Free Family Fun Day: Irish Culture
Learn about and celebrate Irish culture on St. Patrick's Day!
Enjoy a traditional performance by the Lincoln Irish Dancers at 2pm. Create Irish related crafts and hear Irish stories.
How Geography Helps Us Understand Disasters and Epidemics
Epidemics and calamity have affected human history in myriad ways: demographically, culturally, politically, financially, and biologically. Humans have never known a time in history when epidemics did not loom large. Emily Houck, Nebraska Panhandle Conservation Director, will show how geography has caused calamities and affected human health.
Join us at the Ethel S. & Christopher J. Abbott Visitor Center for a free lecture as part of our Sunday Afternoon at the Rock 2018 series! The program begins at 1:30 pm and lasts an hour. Call ahead in case of inclement weather.
Community Dialogue
Join Pa Naw Dee, co-founder and President of the Karen Society of Nebraska, for a presentation and community dialogue. The Karen Society of Nebraska's mission is to help refugees and immigrants from Burma to build and sustain a high quality of life and to achieve self-sufficiency in the state of Nebraska.
This program is funded in part by Humanities Nebraska and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment.
The Plains Tribes and the Homestead Act
Many tribes inhabited the immensity of The Great Plains, interacting with their environment, neighboring tribes, and European explorers and trappers for centuries. However, the two decades prior to the American Civil War and the two decades following the Civil War brought tremendous changes due to increased tensions in the East and legislation enacted in Washington – the Homestead Act of 1862. Nancy Gillis will examine why these changes occurred and how the tribes were affected by looking at changes in foods, clothing, housing, family structure, gender roles, land control, and political relationships.
Join us at the Ethel S. & Christopher J. Abbott Visitor Center for a free lecture as part of our Sunday Afternoon at the Rock 2018 series! The program begins at 1:30 pm and lasts an hour. Call ahead in case of inclement weather.
Science Cafe-After Hours Panel Discussion
Recovering Nebraska’s Indian Boarding School Past: The Genoa School Digital Reconciliation Project
Panel Discussion led by UNL Professor of History Margaret Jacobs
The Genoa School left a lasting impact on families. Come learn about the personal and historical impact of Indian boarding schools, the Genoa Foundation, and efforts at ethical digitizing of Indigenous historical materials.
This is a partnership with the University of Nebraska State Museum
Noon History Bites
Molly McPherson, UNL Ph.D. candidate and lecturer in the Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design program, will present an informative talk about textiles, their makes, and the women who wore them. McPherson will focus specifically on the two women’s formal gowns on view in the Nebraska History Museum's Nebraska Unwrapped exhibit.
Free Family Fun Day: Welsh Culture
Hear "Tales from Wales" with Welsh storytellers
Enjoy Welsh music
Play games and enjoy Welsh crafts
Sip on tea and indulge in traditional Welsh tea cakes
This event is in partnership with St. David's Welsh Society of Nebraska
Brown Bag Lecture: Can Fiction Teach Facts?
Armed with a Master of Historical Studies degree from Nebraska Wesleyan, award-winning Nebraska author Stephanie Grace Whitson's career spans over two decades and has produced twenty-two full length historical novels, three historical novellas, and numerous non-fiction works. She will call on her experience as both a novelist and historian to discuss the advantages and inherent dangers of using historical fiction as a basis for teaching and learning history.
Nebraska History Bike Tour
Put on your helmet and join us for a bike tour of The Bottoms in Lincoln. Discover the unique homes, shops, and churches of the area's early Russian German immigrants with City Historic Preservation Planner Ed Zimmer.
Cost is $15, $10 for NSHS members. Refreshments are included.
Group is limited to 30
Must be 16 or older to participate
Use #BottomsBikeTour on social media before, during, and after the ride to join in the conversation.
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Celebration
Join us at the Nebraska History Museum for a FREE special after-hours event celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, presented in partnership with the Asian Community and Cultural Center, Fly Over Media, and Lincoln City Libraries!
The celebration will feature traditional food, an Asian dance performance, and Untold Migrant Stories presented by Lincoln High students. There will also be stories for children, arts and crafts opportunities, and a fun selfie green screen.
Susette and Susan La Flesche: Two Sisters Who Helped Change the Face of Native America
One crusaded tirelessly for Native American citizenship rights. The other became America's first Native doctor. Whether translating at Chief Standing Bear's landmark civil rights trial or working 18-hour days to save her beloved Omaha Indian people, Susette and Sussan La Flesche devoted their lives to pushing the social justice needle on behalf of America's Native people. UNL Professor of Journalism Joe Starita will tell the story of these amazing sisters.
Noon History Bites
Jamison Wyatt joins us to talk about one of Nebraska's most famous authors, Mari Sandoz, and her book, Old Jules, on display at the Nebraska History Museum. Wyatt serves on the board of directors for the Mari Sandoz Heritage Society and lives in Sandoz' former Lincoln apartment building where he is writing a novel about her early life.
Location
Victorian Free Family Fun Day
Enjoy an immersive Victorian experience in the Thomas Kennard House (1627 H St, Lincoln, NE) at our Victorian Free Family Fun Day! Be one of the first to take a tour of the newly renovated Kennard house, enjoy Victorian games, crafts, desserts, and learn about archeological excavations in the backyard.
Brown Bag: Chief Standing Bear's Journey for Justice
Don't miss this month's Brown Bag Lecture! Join us at noon for UNL professor Joe Starita's talk on Chief Standing Bear's landmark legal case that established for the first time in US history the idea that Native Americans are people under the law.
Noon History Bites: Unseen Side of Quilts
Nebraska History Museum curator Laura Mooney joins us for a short talk on what many of us never see on our favorite quilts: the quilt back.
Fort Robinson Infantry & Cavalry Demonstrations
The Fort Robinson History Center, in cooperation with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, is sponsoring three days of historical re-enactments at Fort Robinson State Park July 19, 2018.
On July 19th, the Commanding General Mounted Color Guard from Fort Riley, KS, will demonstrate horse drills, use of jumps, sabers, period pistols, and period rifles. Troopers and horses of this unit are outfitted in the uniforms and equipment from the Civil War and Indian Wars. Soldiers are detailed from the ranks of units assigned to Fort Riley and receive instruction from manuals used by Civil War and Indian Wars cavalrymen. The special unit is visiting Fort Robinson for the first time and will incorporate the history of Fort Robinson from the Indian Wars when it was designated as a U.S. Army Remount Station.
On July 20th and 21st, the Fremont Pathfinders will be presenting infantry and cavalry re-enactments of the Indian Wars time period (1870-1890).
Important notice: Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Fremont Pathfinders Reenactment Group will not be performing as originally scheduled. As a result, the event will take place only on Thursday, July 19 rather than the previously scheduled July 19-July 21.
All activities are free and open to the public. The staging area in the Buffalo Soldier Barracks will be open to visitors from 9 am to 5 pm each day of the event to meet with and learn from the re-enactors and soldiers. All park visitors are required to have a valid Nebraska Game and Parks park entry permit for their vehicle. Permits may be purchased at the Game and Parks Lodge or Information Booth at Fort Robinson State Park on the day of the event.
For more information, please contact Janell Keyser at the Fort Robinson History Center at (308) 665-2919
Brown Bag Lecture: More Famous Nebraskans You've Never Heard Of
We all know many names of Nebraskans who have made our state as wonderful as it is. In this month's Brown Bag Lecture, we'll be learning about Nebraskans who are well known outside the state but relatively unknown inside. Lincoln historian Jim McKee will be this month lecturer, continuing his talk on famous Nebraskans that began September 2017. Watch that first talk in its entirety on our YouTube.
Free Family Fun Day: Color Quest
Join us at the Nebraska History Museum for another free day of family fun with History Nebraska! Take part in a community quilt or create your very own pinwheel. Enjoy a scavenger hunt through the museum's Color Quest exhibit. Learn the secrets of quilting with a live demonstration in the lobby.
Sessions with the Senator
Senator George W. Norris made an impact on both Nebraska and the United States that is still felt today.
This weekend the Norris House presents Sessions with the Senator, a chance to hear stories from Senator Norris' life in his own living room.
Admission is free. Donations are welcome.
Noon Bites — The Kregel Windmill
Currently on exhibit at the Nebraska History Museum, the Kregel Windmill was designed and built in Nebraska. Learn about the Nebraskan inventors, artists, and entrepreneurs behind the Kregel Windmill. Benjamin Kruse, former executive director of the Kregel Windmill Factory and current History Nebraska employee, will give the talk.
Brown Bag Lecture — Auto Racing in Nebraska
As the automobile went from a curious fad to an essential tool in the early 20th century, young Nebraskans began to test the limits of what the machines could do. Historian and Speedway Motors Museum of American Speed Research Tech Bob Mays will examine Nebraska auto sports and specifically the role of Harold Mauck in popularizing it in the state.
Sessions with the Senator
Senator George W. Norris made an impact on both Nebraska and the United States that is still felt today.
This weekend the Norris House presents Sessions with the Senator, a chance to hear stories from Senator Norris' life in his own living room.
Admission is free. Donations are welcome.
Start Your Engines Street Party
Join us at the Nebraska History Museum for a free street party celebrating the opening of our Start Your Engines exhibit! We'll be closing down the street outside the museum and throwing a party complete with a car show featuring cars from the Museum of American Speed and Harold Mauck's own number 711 car! There will also be a DJ and food trucks Kona Ice and The Gilded Swine.
Be one of the first to see the Start Your Engines exhibit with guided tours.
Bring the kids for hula hoops, corn hole, pinewood derby races, and all sorts of hands-on activities exploring the science of auto racing.
Parking at the Museum is limited, but there is parking nearby, including three parking garages within a four block radius.
Brown Bag Lecture - Sandhills Archeology
During the past three years, History Nebraska staff and University of Nebraska-Lincoln students have inspected 8,500 acres of the Nebraska Sand Hills and have found over 200 new archeological sites. The work has been along Birdwood Creek, and the Snake, Dismal and Middle Loup rivers. Learn about these surveys and excavations at a Plains Apache village that dates to the 1600s with Nebraska State Archeologist Rob Bozell. These projects are shedding valuable light on the mysterious expanses of the Sand Hills.
