Skip to Main Content
Memberships

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.

View Blog

Become a Member!

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.

U

The Lincoln-Douglas Debates

This fall, U.S. Senate candidates David Karnes and Bob Kerrey will engage in a series ofdebates, some of which are patterned after the famous 1858 contests between ...
Read More

The Nebraska Farmer’s First Issue

The first issue of Robert W. Furnas's Nebraska Farmer was published in Brownville in October of 1859, eight years before Nebraska Territory became a state. Furnas (who ...
Read More

The Need for Daycare, 1915

This year, the day care problem is a red hot issue. Both state and national senators arewrestling with the question of how to adequately care for the children of working ...
Read More

The Not-So-Gay Nineties

The last decade of the last century is often referred to as "the Gay Nineties." But for farmersin Nebraska, the nineties were not so gay. Ample rainfall had produced ...
Read More

The Old Settlers Picnic

Summertime is picnic time. Family get-togethers, high school reunions, and townhomecomings dot the summer calendars of many Nebraskans. At the turn of the century,many ...
Read More

The People’s Party

Like this year, 1890 was an election year. And like this year, there was plenty of drama on the political scene. Drought in 1890 killed the crops, and Nebraska's ...
Read More

The Pie Lover’s Delight

Rhubarb, a plant well known to pie and dessert lovers in Nebraska, has a long history in this state. Its use as a substitute for fruit in a newly settled country where ...
Read More

The Preacher Took a Drink

Preachers didn't have an easy lot in Nebraska's early days. A goodly portion of our citizenswere what we now call "the unchurched"--at best they were apathetic to the ...
Read More

The Prohibition Amendment

Every election has its hot issues. Deficits and radioactive waste may confront us now, buthere's what voters in 1890 faced: "The greatest question ever before the ...
Read More

The Pure Food Question

"Gypsum in cayenne pepper and ginger, canned meats containing borax or sulfites or both,glucose in preservatives, starch and phosphates in cream of tartar and strawberry ...
Read More

The Rescue of Oscar Phelps

"Quite an exciting scene was witnessed last evening, on the river bank just opposite Boyd's packing house," said the Omaha Daily Bee on January 23, 1882, "which came ...
Read More

The Rhyming Recipe

There once was a time when a homemaker's reputation depended, in good measure, on herability to produce a good loaf of bread. Here's a rhyming 1903 recipe designed to ...
Read More

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 Director Daryl Bohac. They are assisted by an administrative staff responsible for financial and personnel functions, museum store services, security, and facilities maintenance for NSHS.

About Us
Our Board
Careers
Internships
Contact Us
Explore Nebraska

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

View All Nebraska Sites
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!

All Services
Archeology
Collections
Conservation Center
Digital Curation
Historic Preservation
Publications

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.

Get Involved
Memberships
Volunteer