Praised as “one of the top ’10′ places to relive America’s past” by Good Housekeeping magazine, Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer offers a hands-on living history experience that tells the story of early town building in Nebraska. Stuhr Museum is a world-class, nationally recognized educational and cultural institution, and an outdoor living history museum. For more than forty years, Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer has given visitors a glimpse of pioneer life. Described as a “crossroads in time,” Stuhr Museum preserves and portrays the inspiring story of the pioneer town builders who created the first communities in Nebraska. The pioneers who challenged the land did not think their story remarkable, but visitors and students are amazed at the spirit and accomplishments of common people who shared a vision for the future and built satisfying and productive lives on the prairie. Since 1961, Stuhr Museum has collected and preserved historical objects and information relating to life in Nebraska’s prairie communities from the 1840s through 1920. These artifacts-the buildings and the objects-are important tools to bring history to life and enable today’s citizens to understand the economic, political, and cultural development of these plains communities. As such, they play a key role in Stuhr’s “living history” and educational programs. These programs focus on the diversity of Nebraska’s heritage, not just the dates and patterns of settlement but on the people, their lives, hopes, and ethnic background. These historical artifacts are a tangible part of this heritage and help make this story real to the museum’s visitors. Open year-round, the stately Stuhr Building was designed by the late, world-renowned architect Edward Durell Stone. The Stuhr Building’s many indoor exhibits of period rooms, tools, household articles and furnishings introduce visitors to Nebraska’s history by tracing pioneer lifestyles from 1880 to 1920. The museum’s attractive main building also houses the Prairie Treasures Gift Shop and ever-changing exhibits on a year-round basis. Elegant marble floors, graceful twin spiral staircases and four stylish fountains enable you to tour in a peaceful environment. Prairie Treasures carries a wide assortment of unique gift items, Nebraska items, goodies, keepsakes, jewelry, postcards, and a substantial selection of books on Great Plains history and people.
