Author Archives: pgaster

A Drink for New Year’s Eve

New Year’s Eve in the 1920s saw Nebraskans unable to legally include alcohol in their celebrations. Voters in this state had already adopted a prohibitory amendment to the state constitution in 1916, which took effect in May 1917, two years … Continue reading

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Holiday Wishes from 1948

The staff of the Varsity Theatre, located in 1948 at 143 North Thirteenth Street in Lincoln, wished the movie-going public a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in the above staff picture, published December 25, 1948, in Lincoln newspapers. An … Continue reading

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Monarch’s Sad Fate

The sad end of a retired member of Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West was announced by the Omaha Daily Bee on December 5, 1906. However, the article, headlined “Death Warrant for Monarch,” referred not to a human, but to an … Continue reading

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Christmas Trees Opposed by J. Sterling Morton

J. Sterling Morton (1832-1902) had a distinguished political career in this state, serving twice in the territorial legislature, as territorial secretary from 1858 to 1861, and on two occasions as acting territorial governor. He also served as secretary of the … Continue reading

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The Influenza Epidemic of 1918

Nebraska’s last great epidemic was the Spanish influenza, commonly called flu, which hit the United States early in 1918. The scourge had greatly intensified by September and was at its worst during the fall months, throwing a damper on most … Continue reading

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Major Pembleton’s Baby Drummers

Major Pembleton’s Baby Drummers, depicted in the photograph above, were a familiar feature at turn-of-the century Grand Army of the Republic reunions in Nebraska. Musician and Civil War veteran M. L. Pembleton (1846-1915), who resided at York, recruited his wife … Continue reading

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Nebraska’s Seventy-fifth Anniversary, 1854-1929

The Diamond Jubilee celebrated by Nebraska in early November of 1929 didn’t mark Nebraska’s seventy-fifth year as a state, but its seventy-fifth as a political unit. The 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act making it a territory was commemorated in 1929 with three … Continue reading

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Ending the War to End All Wars

When World War I concluded with an armistice signed at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, Nebraskans joined people everywhere in celebration. The news reached this state in the middle of the night, … Continue reading

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The Campaign Buttons of 1896

Although the hobby of collecting political memorabilia is probably as old as politics, the political campaign button first became important in the presidential election of 1896. This contest, in which Republican William McKinley defeated Democrat William Jennings Bryan, spawned a … Continue reading

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Emory Wyman and Compulsory Voting

After Shelton resident Emory Wyman (1834-1929) was elected to the Nebraska House of Representatives in 1898, he wasted no time in introducing a bill on compulsory voting in Nebraska that was designed to compel every legal voter to vote at … Continue reading

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