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Nebraska University

Nebraska University in Washington County was chartered by the first Nebraska territorial legislature in 1855 and was operated from 1856 to 1872. It was a church-related, coeducational institution that offered elementary and secondary school courses (with college courses projected). According to an 1868 advertisement for the school,



“NEBRASKA UNIVERSITY is located in the pleasant village of Fontenelle [later spelled “Fontanelle” by postal authorities], an elevated site commanding an extensive view of the Platte Valley. It is nine miles from Fremont, a station on the Union Pacific Railroad.



“The Academic Department is now open for Students. The College Department will receive attention as soon as a sufficient class can be prepared. TERMS, Of 13 Weeks each, begin on the 3d Tuesday of September, the 1st Tuesday of January, and the 1st Tuesday of April.



“TUITION In advance; per term: Common English, $6; Higher English, $8; Languages, $10. Instrumental Music extra. The German class will be taught by Rev. J. F. Kenlman. BOARD And washing $3.50 to $4.50 per week, obtained in private families.



“BRANCHES, Usually taught in Academies and High Schools may be pursued here. Permanent students will find our courses of study so arranged that they can receive thorough instruction in Vocal Music, Penmanship, Book Keeping, &c. Students of a term or two cannot always select the branches they wish. We regard two studies well mastered better than three or four half learned.



“Students should, if convenient, bring bedding, &c., for their own rooms; also such modern text books as they may have. They should be present every day of the term. Those who come here must not expect all the conveniences and luxuries of older regions; but in our young people’s prayer meetings, in the common schools calling for teachers, in the growing interests of this rich and healthy region, all will find abundant opportunity for exercising every developing power. Persons wishing other information should write definite questions, enclose a stamp and address C. G. Bisbee [principal], Fontenelle, Neb.”

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Other Publications

The Bachelors’ Protective Union of Kearney

When the Bachelors' Protective Union gave a gala reception for two of its newly married, former members and their brides in March of 1890, the social club for young, ...

U.S. Weather Bureau in 1890s Nebraska

The U.S. Weather Bureau was established by an act of Congress on October 1, 1890. It took over the weather service that had been established in the office of the Chief ...

Canning the Way to Victory

During American participation in World War I the U.S. Food Administration, under the direction of Herbert Hoover, launched a massive campaign to persuade Americans to ...

The Shoemaker’s Ashes

"Edward Kuehl, one of the most peculiar characters that ever lived in Omaha, or anywhere else, was found dead in his bed last night in the back room of his place of ...

Crazy Horse Surrender Ledger Foreward

Red Dog, an Oglala Lakota who lived at the Red Cloud Agency, Nebraska, 1876-77 (Nebraska State Historical Society RG2955.ph).   In the summer of 1876, following the ...

Darryl F. Zanuck

Darryl F. Zanuck Darryl F. Zanuck (1902-1979), a native Nebraskan, produced some of Hollywood's most important and controversial films. He helped found 20th Century Fox ...

The Burlington’s Profitable Pork Special

Nebraska railroads were much concerned with developing an adequate economy in the areas they served. The Burlington, for example, had a long history of caring for the ...

Bungalow Filling Stations

After the giant Standard Oil Company was broken into thirty-four separate companies in 1911, the newly independent Standard Oil of Nebraska dominated the state's market ...

The Bull Fight

This is the perfect time of year for a visit to the old fishin' hole. But a group of fisherfolk from Plainview discovered that this bucolic pastime sometimes has ...

Buffalo Soldiers West

African-American soldiers on the western frontier are the focus of an exhibit at the Nebraska History Museum in Lincoln. Buffalo Soldiers West, on loan from the Colorado ...

Protection for Buffalo

The extermination of the buffalo on the Plains occurred largely between 1870 and 1885. The Nebraska State Journal of Lincoln on February 1, 1874, editorialized in vain ...

Buffalo Hunting

In late October 1877 young Rolf Johnson and three friends left their homes in Phelps County, Nebraska, for a buffalo hunt in northeastern Colorado. The hunt was not very ...

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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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