Category Archives: Preservation

Throwback Thursday: Old Man in Front of Home

Happy #ThrowbackThursday everybody!

This black and white stereoscopic photograph is on a postcard, and pictures an old man standing in front of a farmhouse by the gate of a fence. Dated 1907-1917.

This image is published and owned by the History Nebraska. They digitized content from the John Nelson and the J. A. Anderson collection. John Nelson came to Nebraska with his parents at the age of seventeen from Sweden. His photographs tell the story of small town life in Nebraska during the first decades of the twentieth century.

See this collection and many more on the Nebraska Memories archive!

The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.

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Throwback Thursday: Bismark Cafe Bar

Sit down and relax this #ThrowbackThursday!

A man and woman stand behind the wood-paneled counter lined with bar stools in the Bismark Cafe Bar in this 8″ x 10″ acetate negative. On the wall above them is a large banner advertising: “Schlitz” “Taste Schlitz today! Smooth pale dry; the beer that made Milwaukee famous.” Several lighted signs tout “On tap Schlitz Beer.” Displays of Schlitz bottles and cans line the shelves.

This image is published and owned by the Townsend Studio, which has been in continuous operation since its foundation in 1888 in Lincoln, Nebraska. The studio holds a collection of glass plate and acetate negatives of early Lincoln and its residents.

See this collection and many more on the Nebraska Memories archive!

The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.

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Throwback Thursday: Chautauqua Park Auditorium

Happy #ThrowbackThursday!

The Chautauqua Park auditorium is shown in this contact print labeled “The Auditorium, 140×280 feet”. The structure is actually an open sided pavilion covered by a roof supported with upright timbers. The unusual multi-sided tower creates a pinnacle for the facility and probably serves as a park landmark when seen from a distance. A number of rowing enthusiasts have positioned their row boats near the water’s edge while other men and women are arriving by horse and buggy, most likely to attend a lecture in this public building. The Christian Park Assembly Association was incorporated in early 1889 and by 1892 had created a sixty-seven acre park located at the north end of Nye Avenue. The park included various buildings and a man-made lake as well as a sheltered plunge bath and an auditorium.

This image is owned by the Dodge County Historical Society, and published by Keene Memorial Library. Both are located in Fremont, Nebraska, and they worked as partners to digitize and describe content owned by the historical society. The collection of photographs documents life in Fremont in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

See this collection and many more on the Nebraska Memories archive!

The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.

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Throwback Thursday: Evelyn Powell

We’re back with another #ThrowbackThursday!

This is a 3″x5″ acetate negative bust portrait photograph of Evelyn Powell, from David City, Nebraska. She is wearing a military uniform with anchor insignia on the jacket collar and stripes on the upper sleeve.

This image is published as part of the Boston Studio Project collection, and is owned by both them and the Thorpe Opera House Foundation. The Boston Studio Collection consists of over 68,000 negatives that record life in and around David City, Nebraska from 1893 to 1979.

See this collection and many more on the Nebraska Memories archive!

The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.

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Throwback Thursday: Frances Barbee

Stop and smell the flowers this #ThrowbackThursday!

This 4″x6″ glass plate negative is a portrait photograph of Frances Barbee, from Gresham, Nebraska. She is wearing a long white dress with elbow-length gathered sleeves, v-shaped sheer lace inserts down the gathered sleeves with lace edged cuffs, sheer lace inserts on the bodice with high-stand collar edged with lace ruffle, a bracelet on her arm, ring on her finger, chain necklace with medallion around her neck, sitting in profile in a chair, looking down at several silk roses on a wooden table, her brunette hair pulled up and secured in back with a black ribbon bow.

This image is published as part of the Boston Studio Project collection, and is owned by both them and the Thorpe Opera House Foundation. The Boston Studio Collection consists of over 68,000 negatives that record life in and around David City, Nebraska from 1893 to 1979.

See this collection and many more on the Nebraska Memories archive!

The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.

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Throwback Thursday: Calumet Cafe

Looking to dine out this #ThrowbackThursday?

This 7-3/4″ x 5-1/2″ black and white photograph shows the interior of the Calumet Cafe, located on the east side of Fairmont Avenue. There are tables with tablecloths in the center of the room, booths along the right wall, and a snack bar with stools near the front. Display cases and shelves with merchandise line the left side of the room, and streamers hang from the ceiling. Several customers sit at the tables and booth. Two male employees stand by the display cases, and a female employee stands by one of the tables. In August 1907, the cafe was purchased by A.B. Tomasek, and it became Mrs. Tony’s Cafe.

This image is published and owned by the Fairmont Public Library. In partnership with the Fillmore County Historical Society, the Fairmont Public Library digitized photographs from their collections depicting the history of Fillmore County. The photos in this collection feature local businesses, schools, churches, as well as the Fairmont Army Airfield, which was used during World War II.

See this collection and many more on the Nebraska Memories archive!

The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.

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Throwback Thursday: Holen Tie Quilt

We’re back with more #ThrowbackThursday!

This 6″ x 4″ color photograph is a close-up of the center of a quilt made out of neckties. The ties are arranged in several concentric circles. “This is the Holen Boys Necktie Quilt” is embroidered on the center of the quilt. This tie quilt was made by members of the Holen family and was part of a traveling display arranged by the Smithsonian Institution.

This image is published by the Holdrege Area Public Library and owned by the Phelps County Historical Society who partnered together to digitize a collection of images portraying the history of Phelps County since the mid 1880’s.

See this collection and many more on the Nebraska Memories archive!

The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.

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Throwback Thursday: Tree Planting

Happy early Arbor Day #ThrowbackThursday!

In this 8″x10″ glass plate negative from 1915, men pose with two horse-drawn wagons loaded with trees. Behind them trees have been planted along a walkway.

This image is published and owned by the Townsend Studio, which has been in continuous operation since its foundation in 1888 in Lincoln, Nebraska. The studio holds a collection of glass plate and acetate negatives of early Lincoln and its residents.

See this collection and many more on the Nebraska Memories archive!

The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.

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Throwback Thursday: History Club

Let’s dive into history this #ThrowbackThursday!

This 5-1/2″ x 3-1/2″ black and white photograph from 1916 shows the History Club posed in a classroom in the Administration Building, Nebraska State Normal School at Kearney. Third from left, back row, is Professor C.L. Anderson.

This image is published and owned by the University of Nebraska at Kearney, Archives, Calvin T. Ryan Library. Their collection includes images that show faculty, students, buildings and activities from the first dozen years of the school’s existence.

See this collection and many more on the Nebraska Memories archive!

The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.

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Throwback Thursday: Children’s Room, Kearney Public Library

Happy National Library Week #ThrowbackThursday!

This 9.5″ x 7.5″ black and white photograph of the children’s room of the Kearney Public Library shows model sailing ships sitting on top of bookcases, tables with built-in lamps, and view of circulation desk. Library building was funded by Carnegie, and completed in 1904.

This image is published and owned by the Nebraska Library Commission. The collections include material on the history of libraries in the state of Nebraska, items from the 1930s related to the Nebraska Public Library Commission bookmobile, as well as items showcasing the history of Nebraska’s state institutions.

See this collection and many more on the Nebraska Memories archive!

The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.

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Throwback Thursday: C.P. Coy & Co. Seed House

It’s a corny #ThrowbackThursday!

In this 5-1/2″ x 3-1/2″ black and white photograph, “C.P. Coy Son & Co. Wholesale Seeds – Sweet, Flint & Dent Corn” is painted on the front of a three-story wood frame building next to the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. A St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railroad freight car sits at the side of the building. Printed on the photograph is: “No. 11, C.P. Coy & Co seed house, Valley, Nebr.”

The Coy Seed House was an important industry for Valley, Nebraska. The building built in 1903 was one of the largest seed houses in the country. Many kinds of seeds were packaged and sold around the country, including beans, corn and pumpkin. The seed packets were sold in hardware stores, grocery stores and nurseries. In later years, the building became the Midwest Popcorn Company. In 1947, it was destroyed by fire.

This image is published and owned by the Valley Public Library. The Friends of the Valley Public Library, Valley, Nebraska, have digitized and described a collection of photographs depicting businesses and members of the local population between the late 1800s and 1900s in Valley.

See this collection and many more on the Nebraska Memories archive!

The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.

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Discovering State Docs: “Take Up the Apple”

Title page of the 1894 Annual Report of the Nebraska State Horticultural Society

“At the annual meeting of the Society, held in January, 1893, the Secretary recommended that the plan of issuing the reports of the Society as monographs be adopted. This contemplated issuing a series of four or five volumes, each of which should be devoted, largely, to one topic. The Society accepted the suggestion, and instructed the officers to prepare a program for the next annual meeting which should take up the apple and treat it as fully as available material would allow. This volume is the result.
At the meeting of which this is a record a resolution was adopted taking the grape, and such other of the small fruits as can be treated
in the same volume, as the topic for the next winter’s meeting.
With no precedent for guidance it was no easy matter to get together just what would make the best sort of a report on a single fruit, and the result is by no means perfect. No one realizes this more than those who have had the work in hand.”
(Excerpt from the preface of the Annual Report of the Nebraska State Horticultural Society for the year 1894.)

This document is just one of the thousands of historical annual reports (1870s through 1956) from Nebraska state government agencies that are available in the Nebraska Public Documents database. This free and publicly-accessible collection is result of a collaborative digitization effort between the Nebraska Library Commission, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Nebraska-Omaha, and the Nebraska State Historical Society. (Read more about the project here!)

Historical government documents provide a glimpse into how our Nebraska forebears lived, worked, and governed. Primary sources such as the ones found in the Nebraska Public Documents database help researchers, students, and the general public understand the important issues and events of the day, and what motivated our elected officials to make decisions and the impacts those choices made. Take a look – what will you discover?

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Throwback Thursday: Bandstand in Hanscom Park

Enjoy the sunshine this #ThrowbackThursday!

Dated around 1907, this black and white photograph pictures a portable bandstand that has been assembled on the grass at Hanscom Park, located at 3201 Woolworth Avenue in Omaha, Nebraska. The bandstand has wheels underneath, so that it can be transported easily. There are chairs and lamps on the surface of the bandstand. Many trees can be seen in the background

This image is published and owned by the Omaha Public Library. They have a large collection of 1,100+ postcards and photographs of the Omaha area.

See this collection and many more on the Nebraska Memories archive!

The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.

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Throwback Thursday: Immanuel Nursing School Basketball Players

March Madness is upon us #ThrowbackThursday!

In this black and white photograph, three team members of the Immanuel Deaconess Institute’s School of Nursing Basketball Team perform a jump shot on the basketball court in Bloom Hall. They are wearing basketball uniforms, knee pads, and sneakers. The letters “ISN” can be seen on the players’ shirts. This picture was taken in Bloom Hall, which was constructed in 1937 for the School of Nursing Athletics.

This image is published and owned by the Alegent Health Immanuel Medical Center, located in Bellevue, Nebraska. They have a mission to preserve, collect, display, and document objects and records related to the history of Sarpy County.

See this collection and many more on the Nebraska Memories archive!

The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.

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Throwback Thursday: Agnes and Christina Hilger

It’s a beautiful #ThrowbackThursday!

A 4″x6″ glass plate negative, portrait photograph of Agnes and Christina Hilger, from David City, Nebraska. Agnes and Christina Hilger were the two youngest daughters of John and Florence Hilger. Agnes was born in Missouri, July 1881. Agnes married Allen B. Smith. Christine was born in Missouri, September 23, 1877, and died May 25, 1968, in David City, Nebraska, where she is buried in St. Mary’s cemetery.

This image is published as part of the Boston Studio Project collection, and is owned by both them and the Thorpe Opera House Foundation. The Boston Studio Collection consists of over 68,000 negatives that record life in and around David City, Nebraska from 1893 to 1979.

See this collection and many more on the Nebraska Memories archive!

The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.

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Microsoft is discontinuing Publisher!

Microsoft announced it is discontinuing Publisher in October 2026! Is anyone still using it? Most all of the libraries I’ve worked at/with use Canva for their flyers and handouts these days. If you own Office Standard, you will be able to continue to use the Publisher app it came with. If you have an Office365 subscription, you will lose access to Publisher.

If you were or are an Office365 Publisher user, Microsoft recommends converting your *.pub files by opening and saving them as Adobe *.pdf files before the October 2026 EOL (End-of-Life). Unfortunately, you will lose the ability to easily edit the converted *.pdf file using this method. I did some experimenting and LibreOffice Draw is a good alternative if you have Office365 and Publisher files you want to continue working with past the Publisher October 2026 EOL.

Andrew “Sherm” Sherman

Library Technology Support Specialist

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Throwback Thursday: Annual Traffic Report

Pull over, it’s #ThrowbackThursday!

This is the cover of a 35 page annual report booklet from 1941, containing statistical information from the Lincoln Police Department, Traffic Division. The report has 37 tables which include the following information: review of 1941 traffic fatalities, total traffic accidents, persons injured, violations, condition of driver, type of motor vehicle, road and weather conditions, and moving violations.

This image is published and owned by the Lincoln Police Department. Their collection includes digitized images of police officers from 1885-1907 and department annual reports from 1942-1973.

See this collection and many more on the Nebraska Memories archive!

The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.

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Throwback Thursday: Inside Nelson & Company Post Office and Store

Got any errands to run this #ThrowbackThursday?

This 6″ x 4″ black and white photograph shows four men inside a store in Potter, Nebraska. Counters and shelves stocked with merchandise line each side of the single aisle. The floor and ceiling are covered with wooden planks. At the rear of the store, a wood stove sits in front of a bank of mailboxes and the post office window. Standing by the stove is Jake Woten, an early postmaster in Potter. Behind the counter, front to back, are: Fred Nelson, postmaster; and his brothers Joe and Emil Nelson. In the far back right corner, a ladder-type staircase rises to the second floor, and a over the door next to the staircase a sign advertises: “Snider’s pork and beans with tomato sauce”. This building now houses the Potter Museum.

This image is published and owned by the Cheyenne County Historical Society and Museum, located in Sidney, Nebraska. Their collection holds many historical photographs of people and places in Sidney, Fort Sidney, Potter, Dalton, and other communities and sites in the county.

See this collection and many more on the Nebraska Memories archive!

The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.

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Throwback Thursday: Christmas Card with Picture of Charles B. Washington & Tony Brown

Happy Black History Month #ThrowbackThursday!

The inside of this 5-1/2″x8-1/2″ 1974 Christmas greeting card has a color photograph of Tony Brown presenting the Fredrick Douglass Liberation Award to Charles B. Washington. Washington is holding the award as Brown shakes his hand. Written inside is:

Joy for me in 1974 was receiving the Frederick Douglass Liberation Award for “truth and excellence in communications” from the Howard University School of Communications by “providing spirit and substance to a thrust for relevant Black programming in his role as television host for the weekly ‘Omaha, Can We Do?’ program” over WOW-TV.

Charles B. Washington

Picture above shows Howard Communications School Dean Tony Brown (right) making award presentation to me at Washington, D.C. banquet.

This image is published and owned by the Omaha Public Library, who’s collection includes early Omaha-related maps dating from 1825 to 1922, as well as over 1,100 postcards and photographs of the Omaha area, as well as the Charles B. Washington Collection which is comprised of items relating to the life of Washington, a local civil rights activist.

See this collection and many more on the Nebraska Memories archive!

The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.

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Throwback Thursday: J. F. Rosenfield Peony Gardens, Omaha, Nebraska on Lincoln Highway

Have you already picked out flowers for your Valentine this #ThrowbackThursday?

This 13.5 x 8.5 cm color postcard from around 1914-1920 pictures a view of a woman standing in the middle of rows of pink, white and red peony bushes holding a red bouquet. The postcard reads “J. F. Rosenfield Peony Gardens, Omaha, Nebraska, on Lincoln Highway” on the top left side of the postcard.

This nursery, was located just outside the Omaha city limits at 77th street and the Old Lincoln Highway, the current 77th & Cass Street. People would drive from all over the country to view the flowers. Omaha’s Peony Park, located across the street, took its name from the gardens. The Lincoln Highway, running past, was the first highway across America linking the Atlantic to the Pacific and in 1913 the route through Nebraska was announced. Lincoln Highway followed Dodge Street until about 76th Street when it veered to the northwest toward 78th & Cass past these gardens. Source: Omaha Public Library Omaha History Clipping File-Peony Park.

The card is not addressed, stamped, or postmarked but does read:

J.F. Rosenfield Poeny Gardens
This charming garden spot was established in 1884 by the present owner. It contains now twenty-five acres of peonies in several hundred of the world’s very choicest varieties. Blooming season extends from middle of May throughout June. They are at their best the first half of June. The grounds are open to the public.

This image is published and owned by the Omaha Public Library. They have a large collection of 1,100+ postcards and photographs of the Omaha area.

See this collection and many more on the Nebraska Memories archive!

The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.

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