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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"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.

Overland Trail

The overloading of wagons and pack animals prior to Overland Trail journeys resulted in the abandonment of worldly possessions along the trail. An overload of supplies, ...

Paddock, Algernon S.

Algernon S. Paddock, who served two terms as United States senator from Nebraska (1875-81 and 1887-93), came to Nebraska as a young man and occupied positions of ...

Paderewski in Lincoln, 1900

In March of 1900 the first issue of a small literary publication, The Pebble, appeared in Omaha. Edited and published by Mary D. Learned and Louise McPherson, it ...

Parachuting Accident

Aerial stunts and parachute jumps, which predated the invention of the airplane by a number of years, were attended by frequent mishaps. An Omaha-area balloon ascension ...

Parking Problems in the 1920s

With the rise of the automobile came the need for parking space, an acute problem in large towns and cities in Nebraska as early as the 1920s. Journalist and press ...

Paul Vandervoort

Paul Vandervoort (1846-1902), who once lived and worked in Omaha, is perhaps best remembered for the American colony he helped found in Cuba about 1900. Populated ...

Pawnee

In the late 1820s most Pawnee believed the U.S. Army was weak and ineffectual and boasted that in a fight "the Americans could be used up like Buffaloes in a chase." The ...

Pawnee at Fort Atkinson, 1824

In 1824 Mexican officials from Santa Fe were invited to come to the army post at Fort Atkinson to negotiate a peace treaty with the Pawnee. The delegation included ...

Pawnee Foods

The Pawnee were one of the most important Native American tribes of the Plains area. By the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, they were living in circular ...

Pawnee Suffer in a Blizzard

Reports of the suffering of white settlers in winter snowstorms abound in the columns of early Nebraska newspapers. Less common are accounts of the experiences of Native ...

Paxson, Joseph

Dr. Joseph A. Paxson (1842-88), physician to the Winnebago from 1869 to 1870, left an interesting picture of the Winnebago in Nebraska during this brief period. Paxson, ...

Paxton, William A.

William A. Paxton, rancher, cattleman, and early Omaha businessman, was born in Kentucky in 1837 and moved with his family to Missouri at the age of twelve. Soon ...

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.