Author Archives: darenz

Nebraskans Held Captive In North Korea

In January of 1968 the USS Pueblo, a navy vessel on an intelligence mission off the coast of North Korea, was attacked and captured by North Korean forces.  One sailor was killed and the remaining eighty-two were taken captive and … Continue reading

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Posted in Museum Collections, Photograph Collection | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

A Rest-Stop Sculpture Garden in Nebraska

A few weeks back I blogged about a needlework project undertaken in Nebraska by Home Extension clubs to commemorate the 1976 Bicentennial.  Today I’m keeping with that theme and spotlighting a larger and more public commemorative project.  If you’ve traveled I-80 … Continue reading

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Posted in Museum Collections | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Nebraska’s Safe Haven Law

    During the regular session in 2008 the Nebraska legislature passed LB157 commonly known as Nebraska’s “safe haven” law. Safe haven laws are usually intended to provide parents with a safe way to surrender a newborn they feel they … Continue reading

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A Nebraska Goose

John Albert Lundgren of Axtell, Nebraska, always loved hunting and by the age of 14 started making decoys.  In 1935, when live call birds became illegal he set out to design high-quality full-bodied decoys of his own.  His earliest, in … Continue reading

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A Needlework Tour of Nebraska

In 1976 the American bicentennial was a cause for celebration and commemoration.  Organizations and local governments of all sizes and configurations found ways to mark our country’s 200th birthday through events and projects as varied as the people living within … Continue reading

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Posted in Museum Collections | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Rough on Rats (and biles, and piles, and corns . . . )

Old print advertising is weird.  I know, some is boring, but to me, usually, if it’s not boring it’s weird.    Case in point—Rough on Rats.  Rough on Rats was a poison (arsenic) that was developed and marketed to kill all … Continue reading

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A Feedsack Quilt, A Doll, and a New Online Exhibit

   People commonly think of sewing with feed sack fabric as a Depression-era practice. In fact, thrifty stitchers had been doing this since the late 1800s. Necessities such as flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, and animal feed came in cotton sacks. … Continue reading

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Posted in Exhibits, Museum Collections | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

“Nebraska Women Are Bound To Vote”

Banner that belonged to Dr. Inez Celia Philbrick who practiced medicine in Lincoln from 1893-1937.  This banner dates from 1900-1917. The movement to enfranchise Nebraska women started as early as 1855 when suffragist Amelia Bloomer spoke before an audience in Omaha.  … Continue reading

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Music That Will Make An Old Man Dance

We recently obtained a collection of over 70 posters from Oscar’s Palladium, a dance hall located in Sargent (Custer County), Nebraska.  Oscar’s was owned by Oscar Melham and in addition to being a dance hall, the building included a bar and … Continue reading

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Posted in Museum Collections | Tagged , | 2 Comments

The Start of an Illustrious Career

I am continuing to go through the collection of John Falter, a highly successful artist and illustrator born in Nebraska, and routinely find items that I feel are little gems.  The museum collection includes preliminary sketches and doodles that resulted … Continue reading

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Posted in Museum Collections | Tagged , , | 9 Comments