Historic Burlington Station, previously the Plum Street Station.
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Operating as usual
City of Grand Island - Public Library starts their Winter Programs tomorrow and we were thrilled to team up and offer a virtual program on recording family history. If you are interested in learning how to record your own family history, and the resources available to you at the library and through their website, check it out this program on December 22.
We would like to congratulate Adam Lehechka on his graduation from UNO. Adam fixed up the Poor Farm Cemetery and placed a State Historic Marker at the site for his Eagle Scout award.
Many local organizations have found ways to continue their programs virtually this year, including City of Grand Island - Public Library. They recently celebrated Native American Heritage Month by reading a Native American folk tale about the jumping mouse. Click on the link below to hear the story.
https://youtu.be/CPCmqOnOEX4
Ms. Lori and Ms. Elle talk about American Heritage Month and the Legend of Jumping Mouse.The Turtle Story, a Native American Account of Earthquakeshttps://ww...
Did you know you could renew (or start) your membership to the Hall County Historical Society through our online store? Click on the link below to get your membership today!
https://www.hallnehistory.com/store.html
Prices in the online store include tax and shipping costs.
Our friends at the BuffaloCounty HistoricalSociety are working on a community history book. If you have Buffalo County ancestors, please consider sharing your family stories with them.
We want YOUR family history! The Buffalo County Historical Society is actively collecting family histories from current and former Buffalo County residents for a sesquicentennial book! You can submit your family history to [email protected] or call us at Trails & Rails Museum (308) 234 - 3041
For all of the fans of Coney Island, Grand Island NE across the country who aren't able to stop in for a delicious coney dog and a copy of the new book on the legendary lunch room and the family who has run it for three generations you are in luck! The book is now available for sale on the Hall County Historical Society's website. The book is $19.95 (plus tax) at Coney Island or $27 (includes tax, credit card processing, and shipping) on the Hall County Historical Society's website, whichever option works best for you!
https://www.hallnehistory.com/store/p14/What_a_Life%21_The_Coney_Island_Story.html
History of the famed Coney Island lunch room in Grand Island Nebraska and three generations of the Katrouzos family.
What a great way to introduce you to one of our newest board members! Earlier this year you may remember seeing an article about the fundraising efforts to place a historical marker at Tornado Hill led by Stephanie Crosby. We are thrilled to announce that the marker is now in place and Stephanie joined the Hall County Historical Society Board in October. Stephanie will be working with the Parks and Recreation Department to further enhance the site. We plan to have an official dedication ceremony in the spring when it will be a little safer to gather together and celebrate. Congratulations to Stephanie on all of her hard work and we are excited to see what other contributions she will make to preserve and share our community history.
You won't want to miss your opportunity to get this amazing book about the Katrouzos family and one of Grand Island's legendary restaurants! Our board member Jim Dean co-wrote the story with Lawrence Molczyk and Jean Lukesh. Available for purchase now at Coney Island, Grand Island NE.
Book about history of Coney Island selling for $19.95.
If you didn’t get a chance to see The Independent’s 150th Anniversary special edition check it out here! Grand Island is home to the 3rd longest continually published newspaper in Nebraska and this edition is full of community history that The Grand Island Independent has been recording for us since 1870.
Two of our board members, Jim Dean and Michelle Setlik, worked on this edition with The Independent staff. Again, congratulations to The Independent on achieving this incredible milestone! We hope you enjoy this and continue to support local journalists and community newspapers.
https://gidedicated.com/special/2020/11/Grand_Island_Independent_150th/
This interactive publication is created with FlippingBook, a service for streaming PDFs online. No download, no waiting. Open and start reading right away!
With so many local organizations having to cancel or curtail their annual holiday events we are excited to have partnered with The Grand Island Independent and local nonprofits to help spread a little extra holiday cheer this season.
Watch leaders from local non-profits read "The Night Before Christmas." Support your local non-profits this holiday season.
Thank you to our Board Member John Hanssen for sharing some of his amazing Christmas decorations for our entry in the Stuhr Museum Fantasy of Trees exhibit again this year. This year John is featuring an early 1900's feather tree with ornaments and toys.
Congratulations to the The Grand Island Independent on their 150th Anniversary! A.F. Buechler, Editor of The Independent, was one of the first officers of the Hall County Historical Society board when we were founded almost a century ago. Since then we have worked closely with The Independent to share and preserve our community history. If you don’t have a current subscription, be sure to pick up The Independent today for a special 150th insert with 150 of the biggest Hall County events and stories from 1870-2020 (many written by our board members Jim Dean and Michelle Setlik).
In 1920 this is where Grand Islanders went if they wanted the highest quality of meats and homemade sausages. If you went to this location today, what might you be able to get?
Check out the digital newspaper archive to see what you can discover. http://hallcountyne.advantage-preservation.com/
Another batch of newspaper are now online! We are excited to hear about all of the things you are finding in the digital newspapers and with this latest batch we were able to discover a little more about our origin as well. Check out this January 3, 1917 Letter to the Editor from Leo Stuhr (transcribed below).
Editor Independent: After the conclusion of Mr. Norman Reese’s Reminiscences of early Hall county history, it brings to mind that this was a very good move on the part of the editor of The Independent, and if possible we should have more articles on the same subject. There is still quite a number of the earlier settlers living who could contribute reminiscences of pioneer days, that would not only interest the general reader but would serve as a means of bringing out stories of historical value, that otherwise might be lost to future generations.
Another matter that I have thought of at different times, is that it might be a good idea to consider establishing a Hall County Historical Society. The object of which would be to collect things of historic value and place them in the public library, or some other suitable place where they could be preserved and displayed.
LEO B. STUHR
100 years ago today (November 2, 1920) 100,000 Nebraska women stepped into the voting booth for the first time. In honor of that historic day, and the 70 year war women across the nation waged to earn that right, we wanted to share again the video we collaborated on earlier this year with Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer, YWCA of Grand Island, Hall County Election Commissioner, and women across Hall County. May we never forget the battles our ancestresses fought for us in the name of democracy.
https://youtu.be/u8gGwY5vLLQ
This video, made in conjunction with the Hall County Historical Society, tells the story of women's suffrage in Hall County as we celebrate 100 years of women t...
It was a fun day exploring Hall County cemeteries with Central Community College Extended Learning Services Grand Island. We love sharing our community history and are thrilled to be able to support the cemetery associations in Alda, Doniphan, and Wood River. Each cemetery association will receive 1/3 of our presenter fee to continue their good work in maintaining these community cemeteries.
It was a beautiful day for a Wine and Spirits Covid tour! Thank you, Hall County Historical Society for working with us on this fun day.
It might have taken them 70 years to get there, but 100 years ago Nebraska women turned out in record numbers on November 2, 1920 to claim their right to vote.
On August 2, 1919 Nebraska became the 14th state to ratify the 19th Amendment. "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex."
**Photo from Creative Commons. Newspaper clippings from Cairo Record, Doniphan Enterprise, Grand Island Herald, Wood River Sunbeam.
We hope to see you all at the dedication of the new fountain on July 4, 2021 - the 114th anniversary of the first fountain dedication.
Surveillance cameras have been installed at Pioneer Park, paid for by the Hall County Historical Society.
Due to a last minute cancellation there are 2 open spots on CCC's Wine & Spirits Tour on Saturday (October 31). If you would like to join us for a tour of Hall County cemeteries, contact Judy Weston at (308) 398-7445 ASAP.
https://www.cccneb.edu/educational-opportunities/community-class-search/personal-enrichment/10-31-gi-wine-and-spirits-tour/
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Maggie Mobley and Fred Hedde, the first two editors of The Grand Island Independent, arose from their eternal slumber to share with guests on the Hall County Historical Society’s cemetery tour their own histories and their different viewpoints on how they each contributed to the settlement of Hall County.
Before history books are written, newspapers record the first history of a community. We want to thank our local newspapers for recording the history of our Hall County communities for 150 years and wish them a Happy National Newspaper Week. The Grand Island Independent (Established 1870); Clipper Publishing, Incorporated (Established 1880); Doniphan Herald (Established 1923).
To see some of the community history these, and the other 25 newspapers published in Hall County, have recorded since 1870 visit our digital newspaper archive.
http://hallcountyne.advantage-preservation.com
#nationalnewspaperweek
Did you know that the father of Irene Abernathy, a legendary leader in her own right in Hall County, helped Evelyn Sharp buy her first airplane? Irene would share stories about Evelyn and the rides that she gave in her airplane with anyone who would ask her about the legendary aviatrix. In 1937, a 17 year old Evelyn landed her plane at the newly christened Arrasmith Field in Grand Island (now Central Nebraska Regional Airport).
🎉Birthday Alert!🎉
One of the most famous airmail pilots in Nebraska was Evelyn Sharp of Ord, born on this day in 1919. She began flying at age 14 and was the youngest person in the nation to receive her commercial pilot's license. Sadly, her life was cut short at the age of 24 when the plane she was flying crashed on takeoff. The airport at Ord is named Sharp Field in her honor.
We were thrilled to share some of our community history with members of Youth Leadership Tomorrow, especially the stories of political leaders in the community including a Supreme Court Judge, Mayor, State Representative, State Senator, and two women who were leaders in the Democratic and Republican parties from the 1920s to the 1950s. We wish these future leaders all the best in their continued studies and can’t wait to see them make their own mark in our community in the future.
Today, YLT met for their October session. YPB and invited guests met virtually with students on Zoom. Then, students were given the option to tour the Grand Island cemetery.
We suppose congratulations would have been in order for Grand Island on achieving this milestone, but honestly we are feeling more sympathetic toward Mrs. Goehring in this March 1890 news brief...a 14-pound baby boy...ouch!
What hidden gems are you finding in the digitized Hall County newspapers?
With the harvest season now upon us, this is a timely story from History Nebraska. Advances in equipment made this time saving device obsolete almost a century ago. We wonder, how many people remember seeing one of these corn huskers in a forgotten corner of a barn or who have seen a demonstration of harvesting by hand in recent years? If you have seen (or used) one of these devices, share your story with us!
https://history.nebraska.gov/blog/william-f-lillie%E2%80%99s-help-picking-corn-hand
Picking corn was once an unpleasant task, done by hand, for Nebraska farmers after a fall frost when the corn was ripe and dry enough. Even in territorial days, devices were on the market to lighten the labor and reduce the discomfort of cracked and bleeding hands.
Check out Steve White's story on the Taylor Ranch house moving into Railroad Town. We can't wait to see the house when it opens up to the public!
For anyone who has been on one of our cemetery tours when we visited the grave of Robert Taylor, who remembers the story about how Robert Taylor came up with the name "Ovina" and what does "Ovina" mean?
If you drove by Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer you may have noticed history on the move as a house that hosted Teddy Roosevelt moves to Railroad Town.
Check out what our friends and neighbors at the BuffaloCounty HistoricalSociety are planning for October!
There are 3 great options coming up for in-person cemetery tours in the area during October:
BuffaloCounty HistoricalSociety "Beyond the Grave" tours on October 9-11 at 5:30 pm
Hall County Historical Society Annual Cemetery Tour (at Grand Island cemetery) on October 17 at 9 am and 4 pm
Central Community College Extended Learning Services Grand Island Wine & Spirits Tour on October 31
https://nebraska.tv/features/ntvs-good-life/beyond-the-grave-with-early-pioneers
Buffalo County Historical Society presents:2nd Annual Beyond the GraveOctober 9-11 at 5:30p. mWilliam and Fannie Thornton at their gravesite in the Prairie Center CemeteryFor more information, call(308) 234-3041.
Congratulations to our friends and neighbors at Merrick County Historical Museum! We are excited to see the progress Merrick County is making in digitizing historic newspapers.
These newspapers have been made available to the community for the purpose of research, study and to satisfy curiosity. Due to the nature of the colloquialisms, culture, attitude, region, and/or political climate of the various time periods represented, some content me be viewed by some as “inappr...
The Hall County Historical Society is teaming up with Central Community College for a tour of Hall County cemeteries. We will visit cemeteries in Doniphan, Alda, Wood River, and Grand Island. Since our annual Grand Island cemetery tours benefit tombstone restoration projects in that cemetery, the Historical Society will be donating our presenter fee for this event to be split evenly between the Doniphan, Alda, and Wood River cemetery associations for their maintenance funds. We hope you can join us for this fun event and support our local cemetery associations.
Contact the college to register for this fun event!
Wine & Spirits Tour, October 31! 🎃 Autumn is a wonderful time to discover the history of central Nebraska. Join us as we learn about specific gravestones and their meaning as well as the people who once graced our beautiful prairie. Contact 308-398-7441 for more info!
The Hall County Historical Society will host an Oktoberfest dinner on Saturday, September 26 from 12:00-4:00 pm. Reservations are required for curbside pick-up or dining in the courtyard at Burlington Station, 603 N Plum Street in Grand Island. Call or text (308) 390-4082 or (308) 383-0848 by 8 pm on Thursday, September 24 to make a reservation.
A donation of $12.50 per meal to the Hall County Historical Society will allow attendees to choose from three entree options: Wiener Schnitzel mit Spaetzle (fried and breaded pork loin with noodles); Frikadellen mit Rotkohl (seasoned and breaded hamburger with sweet and sour red cabbage); or Knockwurst mit Sauerkraut (veal and pork sausage with sauerkraut). Sides can be substituted for Bratkartoffeln (fried potatoes); Kartoffelpfannkuchen (potato pancake); or Kartoffelsalat (German potato salad). All meals include rye bread and a choice of dessert: Apfelstrudel (apple strudel); Tart Cherry Kuchen (tart cherry cake); or Black Forest cake with coffee or tea to drink.
603 N. Plum Street
Grand Island, NE
68801
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Setting the statute...perfect fit!
After 70 years, the Three Graces is coming home!
Please join us Saturday for the Hall County Historical Society's annual German church service. This year it is virtual, but we cannot wait to have all our members back together for other events in the future. The service will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday at the link below. It will be available to watch at the same link from then on. Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T4XS4o_nXM
