Treasures from the Wildwood Historic Center

The NSHS works hard to collect and preserve Nebraska history, but we don’t do it alone. Historical organizations and museums dot our ninety-three counties and contain many treasures. To support their work in preserving our collective history, we’ve started a program called Treasures from Nebraska Museums. We’ll showcase items from the collections of various Nebraska historical organizations through an exhibit at the Nebraska History Museum in Lincoln, our newsletter Nebraska History News, and through this blog. The ”treasures” will change every three months, allowing us to share the good work of four organizations each year. Our featured organization from July through September of 2012 is the Wildwood Historic Center in Nebraska City. The Center features the Wildwood Period House, a Victorian Garden, and The Barn Art Gallery and Gift Emporium.

The Wildwood Period House was built sometime around 1869 for the Jasper Anderson Ware family. It is told that upon seeing this ten-room home in the country Jasper’s wife, Ellen, said she could not possibly live in such a wild wood! The house is decorated to reflect Victorian life in early Nebraska and costumed tour guides present visitors with information and activities indicative of that period.

Here is an example of one of the treasures you can expect to see at the Wildwood Period House:

This mirror was hand painted in 1884 in the Victorian style by Nebraska City resident Harriet Hershey.

The Barn Art Gallery and Gift Emporium, located just behind the house, showcases the wares of regional artisans.

The museum is located at 420 Steinhart Park Road in Nebraska City. It is open from the end of April through October, Monday–Saturday, 10am-5pm and Sundays, 1pm-5pm. Admission is $3 for adults and $1 for children for house tours and free to The Art Barn and garden. 402-873-6340, www.wildwoodhistoriccenter.org.

So, stop by the Nebraska History Museum here in Lincoln to see what other items from the Wildwood House we have on display. Or, plan a trip to Nebraska City and check out what other treasures the Wildwood Historic Center has to offer!

-Tom Mooney, Acting Associate Director for Collections