Tag Archives: Nebraska History

Throwback Thursday: A to Z Dress Shop

It’s time for another #ThrowbackThursday from Nebraska Memories!

This week, we have a 4″ x 5″ acetate negative of the interior of A to Z Dress Shop, located in David City. This image is part of the Boston Studio Project.

The Boston Studio Collection consists of over 68,000 negatives that record life in and around David City, Nebraska from 1893 to 1979. Harvey Boston, a professional photographer in David City, owned a portrait studio business from 1893 until his death in 1927. The business was later run by his daughter Edith Boston Proskovec and then by his son-in-law Audrey Hurlbert, before being sold in 1973.

Check out 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: McKinley Library Club

Happy #ThrowbackThursday from Nebraska Memories!

This week, we have a 9 1/2″ x 7 3/4″ black and white photograph of the McKinley Library Club standing on the school’s front steps in April of 1914. McKinley School was located at 230 S. 15th Street in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was constructed in 1902 for a cost of $35,319.50. It was used as an elementary school up until 1915. After, it became a “special school with grades 1-9 with prevocational and evening classes.”

This #throwback is published and owned by Lincoln Public Schools. Historical materials related to Lincoln Public Schools have been collected and saved in various sites. Over the past 15 years, the Library Media Services Department made a deliberate attempt to collect, preserve, and archive the history of LPS.

Check out 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: Capitol Ave. Park

It’s time for another #ThrowbackThursday from Nebraska Memories!

This week, we have a late 1800s black and white photograph of Capitol Avenue Park, looking west.

This image was created by George Heyn. It is owned and published by Omaha Public Library. The items in this collection include early Omaha-related maps dating from 1825 to 1922. Over 1,100 postcards and photographs of the Omaha are are also featured.

Are you someone who likes history? If so, check out the Nebraska Memories archive! It’s a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural materials and make them available to researchers of all ages.

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: Damn Yankees

Happy #ThrowbackThursday from Nebraska Memories!

This week’s #throwback features a black and white publicity photo from the musical “Damn Yankees” written by Richard Adler. This image was captured during the fall of 1964 at the Omaha Community Playhouse. This performance broke the old 9,200-plus attendance record at the Omaha Community Playhouse. The Omaha World-Herald called it “The finest damn musical ever.”

This image is published and owned by the Omaha Community Playhouse. This collection features images of the Playhouse and some of its performances. Some actors included in this collection are Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda, and Dorothy McGuire.

Check out 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: Sacred Heart Academy

It’s time for another #ThrowbackThursday from the Nebraska Memories archive!

110 years ago, a devastating tornado hit Omaha, Nebraska. This week’s image shows the aftermath of that storm and the damage left behind at the Academy of the Sacred heart.

Few disasters have devastated Omaha as completely as the Easter Tornado of March 23, 1913. The storm descended just after Easter services on Sunday evening. The tornado created a path that ran seven miles long and a quarter mile wide. It killed 140 citizens of Omaha and injured 400 others. The Easter Tornado caused such extensive damage to the north side of the Academy, that plans were made to level it. Concerned citizens stepped forward and the building was repaired rather than razed.

In 1915, the school added college courses and renamed itself Duchesne College and Convent of the Sacred Heart. The college closed in 1968, and the elementary school was phased out, but the secondary school remains.

This week’s image is owned and published by Omaha Public Library. The items in this collection feature early Omaha-related maps dating from 1825 to 1922, as well as over 1,100 postcards and photographs of the Omaha area.

Are you someone who likes history? If so, check out the Nebraska Memories archive! It’s a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural materials and make them available to researchers of all ages.

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: Race Meet Day, Main Street, Neligh, August 1912

Happy #ThrowbackThursday from Nebraska Memories!

This week’s black and white image was created by Frank Bauman. It is published and owned by the Antelope County Historical Society.

Located in Neligh, Nebraska, the Antelope County Historical Society collaborated with the Raymond A. Whitwer Memorial Library located in Tilden to digitize a collection of large glass plate negatives. These images depict life in Neligh and Antelope County in the early 1900s

If you’re someone who likes history, especially history related to the state of Nebraska, check out the Nebraska Memories archive! It’s a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural materials and make them available to researchers of all ages.

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: Loomis Basketball Team, 1916

Boys state basketball is underway and we’re celebrating with this week’s #ThrowbackThursday!

Today, we have a 5″ x 7″ black and white photograph of the Loomis High School basketball team in 1916. In the back row stand Gordon Linder, Herb Atkins, and Phil Johnson. In front of them stand Reuben Almquist, Frankie Johnston, and Roland Bragg. Professor Peterson kneels in the front.

This week’s #throwback is published by the Holdrege Area Public Library and is owned by the Phelps County Historical Society. Together in partnership, the public library and Historical Society digitized a collection of images that portray the county’s history since the mid 1880’s.

Check out this collection on the Nebraska Memories archive.

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural materials and make them available to researchers of all ages. 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: D. Eiche Firestone Service

Happy #ThrowbackThursday from Nebraska Memories!

This week, we have an interior view of D. Eiche Firestone Service located on the southwest corner of 12th and N Streets in Lincoln. According to Polk’s City Directory of Lincoln, 1939, Dee Eiche owned D. Eiche Firestone Service which “provided Firestone tires, batteries and automobile supplies, brake service, tire service and motor tune up service.” The showroom includes display tables with automobile accessories (including fender flaps, sun visors, and floor mats), parts, tires, and tools.

This image is published and owned by Townsend Studio. Townsend Studio has been in continuous operation since it was founded in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1888.  Today it is run by Bradford J. Clark. The studio holds a collection of glass plate and acetate negatives of early Lincoln and early residents, as well as University of Nebraska and high school sports teams, state governors and Lincoln mayors.

If you like history, check out the Nebraska Memories archive.

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural materials and make them available to researchers of all ages. 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: Lt John J Pershing and Staff

It’s time for another #ThrowbackThursday from Nebraska Memories!

In 1891, Lt. John J. Pershing took the position of Professor of Military Science and Tactics at the University of Nebraska. He also served as the Commandant of the Cadets. Pershing studied law at the University and graduated with the class of 1893. In 1892, Pershing’s Company A won the Omaha Cup at the National Competitive Drills held in Omaha. The group was later renamed the Pershing Rifles.

This week’s #throwback is published and owned by Townsend Studio. Townsend Studio has been in continuous operation since it was founded. The studio holds a collection of glass plate and acetate negatives of early Lincoln and early residents including General John J. Pershing, William Jennings Bryan and Mari Sandoz. Images also include University of Nebraska and high school sports teams, state governors and Lincoln mayors.

See the full collection on the Nebraska Memories archive.

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural materials and make them available to researchers of all ages. 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: Students at Union College

This week’s #ThrowbackThursday is hitting the books!

This week, we have a 5-1/2″ x 3-1/4″ black and white photograph of Union College students studying in the library. The library was housed in the administration building from 1891 until a library building was built in 1936.

This early 1900s images is published and owned by the Ella Johnson Crandall Memorial Library at Union College. The library at Union College is home to an archival collection of books, periodicals, audiovisual materials, photographs, artifacts, and manuscript collections related to the history of Union College and the College View community. The photographs selected for inclusion in Nebraska Memories include early scenes of the Union College campus and downtown College View.

Check out the full collection on the Nebraska Memories archive.

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural materials and make them available to researchers of all ages. 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: Aerial view of Camp Atlanta

Happy #ThrowbackThursday from Nebraska Memories!

This week, we have a 5″ x 3.5″ black and white photograph showing the aerial view of Camp Atlanta. It served as a prisoner of war camp for German soldiers and was located near Holdrege, Nebraska.

This image is published by Holdrege Area Public Library and is owned by the Phelps County Historical Society.

If you like history, check out the Nebraska Memories archive.

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural materials and make them available to researchers of all ages. 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: Winter School Day

Happy #ThrowbackThursday from Nebraska Memories!

This week’s black and white photograph was taken by John Nelson. It is published and owned by History Nebraska. John Nelson was born in Sweden, in 1864. He came to Nebraska with his parents at the age of seventeen. His photographs tell the story of small town life in Nebraska during the first decades of the twentieth century. His subjects included local businesses, community activities, and early automobiles.

If you’re someone who likes history, especially history related to the state of Nebraska, check out the Nebraska Memories archive! It’s a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural materials and make them available to researchers of all ages.

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: Basketball Players Putting on Makeup

Basketball season is in full swing and we’re celebrating with this week’s #ThrowbackThursday!

In this week’s 8″ x 10″ black and white acetate negative, we have two young women, in basketball uniforms, putting on makeup. This image was taken by William Wentworth in the early-to-mid 1900s. He worked as both a freelancer and a commercial photographer, providing a unique view of architecture, businesses, and community life in Omaha.

This image is owned and published by The Durham Museum. This collection consists of 4663 negatives of images that document life in Omaha, Nebraska from 1934 through 1950. Check it out on the Nebraska Memories archive!

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural materials and make them available to researchers of all ages. 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: Courting Buggy

It’s never too late for a #ThrowbackThursday!

This week, we have a 5″ x 8″ black and white photograph of John H. Bruer (1891-1959) in a horse-drawn buggy on the White River bridge west of Crawford. Written on the back of this photograph are the words: “Dad in his courting buggy with Hank, the horse, doing the honors.”

This image from 1914 is published by Crawford Public Library and is owned by the Crawford Historical Society and Museum. The Crawford Historical Society and Museum, in partnership with the Crawford Public Library, digitized a number of images of the Crawford area in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The collection includes portraits of Crawford residents, photographs of local businesses, and souvenir postcards.

Are you someone who likes history? If so, check out the Nebraska Memories archive! It’s a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural materials and make them available to researchers of all ages.

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: Bruno Memorial

Happy #ThrowbackThursday from Nebraska Memories!

This week, we have a 3″ x 5″ acetate negative featuring Reverend Charles Rada, John Curtis, Leslie Kastl, Anton Cuhel, and William Wima standing beside the Bruno Veteran’s Memorial in Bruno, Nebraska.

This image was created by Aubrey C. Hurlbert. It is owned by the Thorpe Opera House Foundation and published as part of the Boston Studio Collection. This collection consists of over 68,000 negatives that record life in and around David City from the 1890s to the 1970s. Harvey Boston was a professional photographer in town and owned a portrait studio business from 1893 until his death in 1927. The business was ran by his daughter and then by his son-in-law, Aubrey C. Hurlbert. The business was later sold in 1973. Negatives and ledgers describing each photograph are stored at the Hruska Memorial Public Library in David City.

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

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and make them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet. 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: Wreck Near Granville, N.D.

It’s time for another #ThrowbackThursday from Nebraska Memories!

On March 13, 1909, a Great Northern Railway train derailment occurred outside Granville, North Dakota. As seen in this postcard, the engine with the coal car is still attached and is stopped on small bridge. It is leaning to one side while the coal car behind it leans in the opposite direction. A railroad car behind it has completely derailed and lays on its side in the snow. You can see workers standing on the tracks trying to repair the damage.

This week’s image is owned and published by History Nebraska. Check out the full collection on the Nebraska Memories archive.

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and make them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet. 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: Snow in Peru, Nebraska

Winter is finally here and we’re celebrating the new season with this week’s #ThrowbackThursday!

This week’s throwback features an early 1900s winter scene in Peru, Nebraska. Snow covers the road and yards along the residential streets.

This image was donated by Lori Sailors. It is owned and published by the Nebraska Library Commission. This collection includes material on the history of libraries in Nebraska, mainly those built with Carnegie grants. Also included in this collection, are items from the 1930s related to the Public Library Commission bookmobile and items that showcase Nebraska’s state institutions.

Check out this collection and many more on the Nebraska Memories archive.

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and make them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet. 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 Party

We’re getting into the Christmas spirit with this week’s #ThrowbackThursday!

This week’s 3 1/2″ x 5″ black and white photograph features the Nebraska Federal Writers’ Project Christmas party from 1936, hosted at the home of Project Director Jake Gable.

This image is published and owned by the Jane Pope Geske Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors. This collection includes digitized items from the Rudolph Umland Papers relating to the Nebraska Federal Writers’ Project. Umland served as an editor and from 1936-1941, as Assistant State Director of the WPA’s Nebraska Federal Writers’ Project. Umland donated personal correspondence and a fifteen-volume scrapbook to the Heritage Room in 1989. This collection also includes images that were scanned from an album titled “Lincoln, Nebraska: A Photograph Album of Business Buildings.” These images date from around 1930.

Check out all the items in this collection on the Nebraska Memories archive.

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and make them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet. 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: Guard Tower at Camp Atlanta

Happy #ThrowbackThursday from Nebraska Memories!

This week’s image features a wooden guard tower at Camp Atlanta. Camp Atlanta was a camp for German prisoners of war located near Holdrege, Nebraska.

This photograph is owned by the Phelps County Historical Society and is published by the Holdrege Area Public Library. Together in partnership, the Holdrege Area Public Library and the Phelps County Historical Society digitized a collection of images portraying the history of the Phelps County since the mid 1880’s.

Check out the collection on the Nebraska Memories archive.

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and make them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet. 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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Book Club Spotlight – Outside Valentine

The cover of the novel "Outside Valentine" by Liza Ward. The D is blood red.
A red car drives away on an snowy country road.

For 60 days in the winter of 1957-1958, Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate raced across Nebraska and Wyoming, leaving 11 dead in their wake. As one of America’s most infamous and widely-reported killing sprees, Starkweather and Fugate are immortalized through movies, music, and literature. And Liza Ward, the granddaughter of two victims, Lauer and Clara Ward, decided it was time to tell the story from a new perspective. Her 2004 novel Outside Valentine is the story of her family and the trauma that has consumed it for generations. But instead of focusing on the notorious Starkweather, this novel takes a step back, concentrating on Caril Ann and those he left behind in a stunning re-telling of what happened that winter. 

Outside Valentine is a fictional account of the Starkweather killing spree, following the three narrators simultaneously. One narrator, Caril Ann Fugate, is a disenfranchised impressionable 14-year-old who finds solace and a desperate love with 19-year-old Charles Starkweather. Their romance soon burns too hot when he takes Caril on a joyride, murdering her family and anyone found in the way of that love. Four years later, the story follows Susan Hurst, who finds herself obsessively reading about the killing spree, envious of the pair’s violent love. Desperate for this kind of love and recognition, she lives a lonely life with her emotionally distant parents, all the while harboring a secret obsession for the surviving son of the Bowmans (the fictionalized Lauer and Clara Ward), whom she has never met. The son, Lowell Bowman, is our third narrator, who, 30 years later, is still dealing with the aftermath of the tragedy. Unable to cope, he runs away from his wife and children, both from and to his past.    

“There was no doubt to me he wouldn’t care. He’d blow up the world for a stuffed dog, if he thought I wanted it enough.”

Liza Ward

Outside Valentine is an engaging and lyrical read that isn’t quite “true crime” but still has that thrilling air. Because the story takes place over 30 years, the reader follows how Fugate and Starkweather’s actions spiral bigger than just themselves. Ward creates an atmosphere that sucks you in so deeply and wholly that you forget where you are. And the stark winter setting makes this a perfect book club selection coming into the colder months. Book club groups, especially those here in Nebraska, will find plenty to discuss in how Ward uses the setting to instill her characters with deep longing and isolation. She does an incredible job of identifying the true loneliness of being a young girl and the dark side of romanticism. 

While both were found guilty and Starkweather sentenced to death, Caril Ann Fugate spent 17 years in prison on a murder conviction before she was paroled in 1976. In 2020, With her father’s support, Liza Ward advocated for Fugate’s pardon, believing her grandparents “would want people to know the truth,” and that it is “time to show that young girl’s stories are worth being listened to.” And she gives young girls that opportunity in Outside Valentine

If you’re interested in requesting this book for your book club, you can find the Book Club Kit Request Form here. There are 12 copies available (Items must be requested by a librarian) 


Ward, Liza. Outside Valentine. Picador. 2004.

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