Up until this point, the main focus of this blog page has been to promote and discuss the history of the Kregel Windmill Company and the Kregel Windmill Factory Museum now carrying on the story. However, I'd like to take a break from my self-promotion to shed some light on the other historical sites and attractions here in our small town. Nebraska City is lucky when it comes to available history and learning opportunities. In this town of just 7,200 people there are 9 museums, covering a wide range of historical topics such as early-American exploration, the Civil War, and even firefighting. In the next section I will cover each of the great museums visitors can experience and give some information about each of them. I guarantee that if you have a look through this list you will find something that interests you or someone you know.
Missouri River Basin Lewis & Clark Center - 100 Valmont Drive
Sitting just outside of Nebraska City on a 79-acre bluff overlooking the Missouri River is the Missouri River Basin Lewis & Clark Center. This 12,000 square foot facility is dedicated to the study and interpretation of the amazing scientific discoveries made by William Clark and Meriwether Lewis on their historic expedition to the Pacific. The center features exhibits on the hundreds of different flora and fauna discovered by the captains, full-scale replicas of the keel boat and pirogue used by the expedition, and a Plains Indian earth lodge. There are also some beautiful observation trails overlooking the Missouri river, allowing visitors to see for themselves a similar site to what the captains would have seen over 200 years ago.
Hours:
Monday-Saturday: 9am to 6pm
Sunday: 9am to 5pm
Admission:
Adults - $5.50
College Student & Seniors - $4.50
Active Military & Veterans - $4.00
Students (6-18) - $3.50
Children (5 & Under) - Free
Nebraska City Museum of Firefighting - 1320 Central Ave
This museum is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of Nebraska's oldest volunteer fire department, dating from the formation of the first "bucket brigade" in 1856. The collection inside the museum is comprised of artifacts which were actually used throughout the years of the Nebraska City Volunteer Fire Department. Some of the exhibited items include an 1884 Button steam engine used to pump water from the Missouri river, 1926 and 1938 Seagrave pumper trucks, and many hands-on displays. Kids visiting the museum will have fun dressing up in firefighting gear and playing on the 1966 American LaFrance firetruck. There is something here for every age group.
Hours:
Wednesday-Saturday: 11am to 5pm
Sunday: 12pm to 4pm
Admission:
Adults - $3.00
Children (4-12) - $1.00
Civil War Veterans Museum & G.A.R. Memorial Hall - 910 1st Corso
This museum is housed in one of the last Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Halls in the state. The Memorial Hall was built in 1894 as a meeting place for veterans of the Union Army, but since its restoration and conversion to a museum it contains artifacts from both sides of the conflict, dedicating it to the memory of both Union and Confederate veterans. The exhibited items include weapons, uniforms, art, and trinkets from the Civil War era. The museum occasionally hosts demonstrations by the local Living History Corps including reenactments and hands-on displays. Younger visitors to the museum can also try on Civil War uniforms that have been tailored down to the correct scale. The G.A.R. Memorial Hall is now being maintained so that it may be once again used as a meeting place, research library, and historical museum.
Hours:
Saturday and Sunday: 12pm to 4pm
Admission:
Adults - $3.00
Children - $1.00
Old Freighter's Museum - 407 N 14th Street
Housed in the home office of the Russell-Majors-Waddell Freighting Company, this mission of this museum is focused on the significance of the freighting and shipping industry on the development of Nebraska City. Russell-Majors-Waddell, later known for their Pony Express venture, spent around $300,000 to turn Nebraska City into a shipping port for their company. It was designed as an intermodal port, meaning that the methods of conveyance included boats, barges, trains, and wagons. R, M, and W was the largest shipping firm on the plains at the time and they reportedly reached their peak in 1865, moving 44,000,000 pounds of freight that year. The exhibits in this museum demonstrate not only the history of the shipping firm, but also the history of westward movement across the plains, especially the pioneer trails. One exhibit also houses the last remaining piece of the "Steam Wagon", which is part of an interesting and humorous anecdote from the early years of Nebraska City.
Hours:
Friday-Saturday-Sunday: 12pm to 4pm
Admission:
Adults - $3.00
Children - $1.00
River Country Nature Center - 114 South 6th Street
The Center houses the life's work of Nebraska City taxidermist Joe Voges. There are over 300 specimens of species native to Nebraska on display, as well as many hands-on exhibits. The Center is divided into four major environmental areas, Eastern deciduous, Riparian, Grasslands, and Sandhills. Along with the displays and exhibits, the Center also houses a library of materials relevant to the the fauna of Nebraska and a classroom where they hold various educational programs.
Hours:
Saturday and Sunday: 12pm to 4pm
Admission:
Adults - $3.00
Children (12-under) - $1.00
Wildwood Historic Center - 420 Steinhart Park Road
Built in 1869, the ten-room Gothic style Wildwood House brings to life the Victorian era in early Nebraska. The house is furnished as it would have been during the time that Jasper and Ellen Ware would have lived "amidst the wild wood" in western Nebraska City. Guests are able to step into the lives of a Victorian era family and see the way they lived day-to-day. Also on display at Wildwood is a showcase of regional arts and crafts from the era. During the month of October the house is decorated for a Victorian style Christmas, with musicians playing the original Steinway piano in the parlor.
Hours:
Monday-Saturday: 10am to 5pm
Sunday: 1pm to 5pm
Admission:
Barn & Victorian Garden are free
Adults - $3.00
Children - $1.00
Nelson House - 711 3rd Corso
The 1857 brick home sits on one of the historic brick streets just a couple blocks off Central Ave in Nebraska City. The exhibits in this home from territorial Nebraska show how the town of Nebraska City has changed and evolved through the times of the different families that lived there. Visitors will watch the town's buildings and streets grow from dirt to pavement, from oxen to the first automobiles. See opera houses, race tracks, churches, and mansions. The community's history is surprising, captivating, and endearing.
Hours:
Friday-Sunday: 12pm to 4pm
Admission:
Adults - $3.00
Children - $1.00
Mayhew Cabin & John Brown's Cave - 2012 4th Corso
Mayhew Cabin & John Brown's Cave are Nebraska's first nationally recognized Underground Railroad historic site. The cabin was the home of Allen & Barbara Mayhew (formerly Barbara Kagy) and became a stop on the Underground Railroad after Barbara's brother John Henry Kagy enlisted in the Kansas volunteer army and became "Secretary of War" in John Brown's "provisional government". Kagy had lived in the cabin for over a year before moving to Kansas and becoming involved with John Brown, the famous abolitionist. Although it is not known how many escaped slaves passed through the cabin, there is one remembered instance of Kagy bringing 14 at once for breakfast. Kagy would later take part in the attempted seizure of the federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry and was shot to death during the raid in 1859. The museum houses a collection of artifacts from the slavery era as well as many different displays highlighting the build-up and explosion of abolitionism in the 1850's. There is also a small replica village behind the museum and cabin, featuring a train depot, school, and church.
Hours:
Thursday-Sunday: 11am to 5pm
Admission:
Adults - $3.00
Children - $1.00
I encourage anyone visiting Nebraska City to check out a few of the fabulous museums and historic sites available. There is plenty in Nebraska City to do, and there is surely something for every member of the family to enjoy!
May Your Blades Always Catch the Wind!
