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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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Tales from Frontier Courtrooms

Before the grand brick or stone edifices, wood-framed courthouses were a big step forward from pioneer-era accommodations. Shown here is the first Saunders County ...
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Teachers

The Omaha Daily Bee noted on October 3, 1903, that Nebraska's corps of rural school teachers was changing, both in the relative percentages of men and women teachers and ...
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Telautograph

The transmission of letters or documents via the "fax" machine is a technology considered essential to the modern-day office. The idea of facsimile transmission is not a ...
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Telegraph at Brownville

Brownville, circa 1870. The first telegraph connection to Nebraska Territory was completed August 28, 1860, to Brownville from St. Joseph, Missouri. For local ...
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Territorial Towns

In the earliest years of white settlement, few Nebraskans were concerned with the development of an agricultural system. Most were interested in the profits to be made ...
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Texas Cattle Trade

"The Texas cattle trade has increased wonderfully in Nebraska within the past three or four years," said the August 7, 1875, Omaha Daily Bee, "and this morning a ...
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Textile Industry Goes to War: Women’s Clothing in the 1930s and 1940s

Muriel R. Wilkins, who attended high school in Washington County during the late 1930s, in 1980 recalled the effect that World War II had upon her clothing styles and ...
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Thanksgiving in Lincoln, 1907

"One of the quietest Thanksgiving days observed in many years was passed in Lincoln yesterday," said the Nebraska State Journal of November 29, 1907. "With no football ...
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Thanksgiving in Omaha, 1909

Nearly a month before the official Thanksgiving holiday in 1909, the Omaha Daily News published mayor James Dahlman's plea for what he called a "sane Thanksgiving." ...
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Thanksgiving in the 1890s

Two Thanksgiving reports from the 1890s illustrate the coming of hard times to Nebraska. The 1890s saw the country’s worst economic depression until the 1930s. “The ...
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Thayer, John M.

John M. Thayer (1820-1906), Nebraska plainsman, soldier, legislator, and chief executive, was interviewed in old age by the Omaha World-Herald about his Civil War ...
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Thayer’s Invention

John Nelson's photograph of a baseball game includes a catcher with face mask in the left foreground. NSHS RG3542:PH:097-12  The catcher's mask in baseball was ...
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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

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Neligh Mill
Senator Norris House
Thomas Kennard House
Historical Markers
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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.

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Find games, lists, and more to enhance your history education curriculum.

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NSHS Programs

Learn more about the programs associated with NSHS.

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Nebraska Statewide Cemetery Registry
Willa Cather National Statuary Hall
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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!

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NSHS's mission is to collect, preserve, and open our shared history to all Nebraskans.

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Get a closer look at Nebraska's history through your own eyes, with our extensive video collections.

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NSHS's Research and Reference Services help connect you to the material we collect and preserve.

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Find all of our digital resources, files, videos, and more, all in one easy-to-search page!

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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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