Nebraska State Historical Society

Publications

Who We Are

The Nebraska State Historical Society publishes works that explore Nebraska history and culture. Our readers range from professional historians to history buffs to curious people who simply find that learning about the past helps them better enjoy living and traveling here. We all share a passion for well-crafted historical writing.

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Our members make history happen.

"Nebraska Timeline" Columns

From 1992 – 2019, the Nebraska State Historical Society wrote a series of articles for newspapers titled “Nebraska Timeline.” Below you can browse or search through those articles and discover interesting stories from Nebraska’s History.

Luring Christmas Shoppers

The Corner Grocery at 801 South 11th Street in Lincoln, Nebraska. 1904  Increased consumer demand from Thanksgiving through New Year's has always been a boon to ...

Maher, John G.

John G. Maher was once prominent in Nebraska's newspaper, business, and political circles. He volunteered in the Spanish-American War and played a role in Nebraska's ...

Mail for the Little Blue

Mail service was a matter of vital importance to frontier Nebraskans, especially to those who depended on the mails for their livelihood. Mark J. Kelley, editor of ...

Major North’s Blizzard

  Minnie Freeman Penney was a young schoolteacher who during the blizzard of 1888 led her pupils from their Valley County school to the shelter of a neighboring ...

Man-powered Paddle Boats on the Missouri

In 1824 Congress authorized a military expedition to the upper Missouri River. Its purpose was to sign peace treaties with the Indian tribes living along the river to ...

Marriage in Hard Times

"The year 1932, now fast drawing to its close, may have seen a lot of big events go down in the history of the world," said the Kearney Daily Hub on December 31, 1932. ...

Married in a Cemetery

During a month noted for weddings, it may be of interest to recall a romantic story circulated more than 120 years ago about the unusual wedding of a Nebraskan and a New ...

Matrimonial Event

"One of the most remarkable and sensational matrimonial events in the history of Omaha occurred about five o'clock yesterday afternoon at the office of Justice Hart," ...

May, Foster

Foster May (1905-52) was an aggressive, controversial, and colorful figure in Nebraska radio and politics during the 1930s and early 1940s. An informal summary of his ...

McBride at Fort Kearny

Fort Kearny, established in 1848, served as a way station, sentinel post, supply depot, and message center for forty-niners bound for California and homeseekers ...

McIntyre, Lydia

When Lydia McIntyre died in Omaha, on January 2, 1937, at the age of sixty-three, she was well known to many of the city's residents. Although not prominent in any field ...

Meat Inspection

The recent emergence of mad cow disease in the United States has focused public attention on the country's meat inspection laws. Omaha's meat inspection ordinance in ...

Contact Us

David Bristow | Publications
Nebraska State Historical Society
1500 R St
Lincoln, NE 68508
402-471-4748
[email protected]

Information Services:
Looking for research help? Contact Library/Archives, the Museum, or Education. The Publications division is an editorial office; we don’t have archival collections or reference staff here.

News and Events:
Looking for research help? Contact Follow the Nebraska State Historical Society on Facebook for event news, cool historical photos, and fascinating stories from the Nebraska State Historical Society blog. Members receive Nebraska History News.

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.

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 NSHS members.

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!

Support The Historical Society

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.