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Nebraska State Historical Society

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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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"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.

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National Air Mail Week

In 1938 the United States celebrated the twentieth anniversary of the first airmail route by designating May 15-21 as National Air Mail Week. The main feature was ...
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National Corn Exposition

The Farm Magazine of Omaha on January 1, 1909, described an important agricultural fair recently held in the city. The second National Corn Exposition was brought about ...
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Nebraska Apples

The United States celebrated its first one hundred years with a Centennial Exposition, held appropriately in Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was ...
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Nebraska As It Is?

Take heart, Nebraskans! The first chill winds of autumn may be blowing, but before youconvince yourselves that another nasty winter looms ahead, consider these words ...
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Nebraska As It Was, As It Is, As It Will Be

This assessment of Nebraska's potential appeared in Brownville's Nebraska Farmer in theautumn of 1859: "It is now nearly four years ago since I, a wanderer from an ...
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Nebraska As It Was, Is, and Will Be, by J. Garside

The first issue of Robert W. Furnas's Nebraska Farmer was published in October of 1859 in Brownville. Furnas (who had established the Nebraska Advertiser, also at ...
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Nebraska Census

In 1854 the first census takers in Nebraska were fanning out across the territory to get the first accurate count of the state's citizens. The returns, carefully ...
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Nebraska City Directory, 1870

Publisher J. M. Wolfe's directory of Nebraska City in 1870 was described in Nebraska History in 1938 as a "'historical and commercial sketch of the city': a directory of ...
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Nebraska City Fire, 1860

What was probably the most disastrous fire in Nebraska during territorial days occurred on the afternoon of Saturday, May 12, 1860, in Nebraska City. At about two ...
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Nebraska City, 1866

Nebraska City in 1866 was a bustling center of freighting activity and westward immigration. Stella (surname unknown), in a letter written on January 28, 1866, from the ...
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Nebraska City’s Pontoon Bridge

Although Congress had chartered the Nebraska City Bridge Company in the early 1870s, by summer 1888 only the new Burlington Railroad bridge spanned the Missouri River ...
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Nebraska Connections to the Battle of Bull Run, 1861

The first major battle of the Civil War was fought in northern Virginia about twenty-five miles southwest of Washington, D.C. on July 21, 1861. Both the Union and ...
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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.

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Explore Nebraska

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

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Chimney Rock
Fort Robinson
John Neihardt
Nebraska History Museum

Explore Nebraska

 

Neligh Mill
Senator Norris House
Thomas Kennard House
Historical Markers
Gift Shops

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.

Museum Field Trips
Virtual Field Trips
Summer Workshops
Scout Merit Badge Workshops

NSHS Programs

Learn more about the programs associated with NSHS.

Historical Markers
Historical Marker Equity Program
National Register of Historic Places
Nebraska Hall of Fame
Semiquincentennial Commission

 

 

Nebraska Statewide Cemetery Registry
Willa Cather National Statuary Hall
Heritage Hero Award Recipients
Nebraska SHRAB

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.

Research, Reference, & Genealogy
About Collections
Digital Collections Portal
Government Records

Explore Nebraska Collections

Library Search
Manuscript Finding Aids
Moving Images Inventories
Photo Collection List
Sound Recordings Inventories

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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Archeology
Collections
Conservation Center
Digital Curation
Historic Preservation
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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.

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