Keya Paha County Historical Society

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Keya Paha County Historical Society Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Keya Paha County Historical Society, History Museum, 210 E Football Avenue, .

Thank you to all who helped make Cruise Night such a fun event! It was wonderful to see the community come together to k...
30/05/2024

Thank you to all who helped make Cruise Night such a fun event! It was wonderful to see the community come together to kick off the alumni weekend! A wonderful meal was put on by the Betterment Committee and MC's Tees and More provided music for the event as well as donating all the prizes/awards. There was a great crowd touring the museum as well. Hope to see everyone back next year!

The museum is open today from 5pm-8pm. Tomorrow it will be open from 1pm-5pm.  Hope to see you there!
24/05/2024

The museum is open today from 5pm-8pm. Tomorrow it will be open from 1pm-5pm. Hope to see you there!

Just four days until the 4th annual Historical Society Cruise Night! The museum will open at 5pm for viewing.  Alumni an...
21/05/2024

Just four days until the 4th annual Historical Society Cruise Night! The museum will open at 5pm for viewing. Alumni and community members will have a chance to visit and tell stories in the museum. Cars will begin lining up outside the museum at 6pm. Come see all the improvements being made at the museum and enjoy a fun night of cars, visiting, food, and cruising! There will also be a beer garden and entertainment available at the Cattleman's Lounge on Main Street.

Plan to attend  the Historical Society's Cruise Night on May 24th. Hope to see honored alumni classes join in the fun! M...
30/04/2024

Plan to attend the Historical Society's Cruise Night on May 24th. Hope to see honored alumni classes join in the fun! More events will be included with the evening. Stay tuned for more info!

KPHS graduating classes of 1944, 1954, and 1964.
19/04/2024

KPHS graduating classes of 1944, 1954, and 1964.

KPHS graduating classes of 1914, 1924, and 1934.
08/04/2024

KPHS graduating classes of 1914, 1924, and 1934.

28/03/2024
When you examine the history of Keya Paha County, one area that was always present was music.  There were individuals as...
20/03/2024

When you examine the history of Keya Paha County, one area that was always present was music. There were individuals as well as large and small bands and orchestras playing in homes, barns, dance halls, and at community events. In the early days, Norden’s fifteen member cornet band was busy filling engagements from Springview to Valentine. The Norden Brass Band was started in 1896 by Mr. Kimmel, an Austrian. He came to America after the death of his wife. He came to the Joseph Langer home and stayed with them while they were forming a band. His life work was being a band master. Joseph and Willie Langer both played clarinet and were part of the band. It took two years to obtain their suits, navy blue with brass trim. The band met once a week for practice in the parents’ home or at the Brewster home in Norden. Mrs. Brewster was very talented and later sold organs, giving twenty –four free lessons to anyone who bought an organ. In about a year’s time, the band’s fifteen members were playing for the public. The band was always an attraction at the fair and in early times, a horse-drawn band wagon was used to take them around. For years, the old band wagon sat behind the blacksmith shop in Norden when it was no longer needed.
1909: Band plays at Fourth of July celebration in Burton
1912: Music by the Norden Band on July 4th at the big dancing pavilion in Springview
1939: Keya Paha County Fair paid $50 to Springview Band to play for two days

This photo taken in December of 1904 gives a glimpse into the lives of homesteaders during that time.  The photo shows E...
15/01/2024

This photo taken in December of 1904 gives a glimpse into the lives of homesteaders during that time. The photo shows Earl Blake on the left and the smaller woman in the carriage is his wife Imo Maggie (Overstreet) Blake. The homestead sod house was built by Earl and his brother Hugh north and west of Springview in the Chimney Creek area. Earl and Hugh's parents, William and Esther Blake, had moved by covered wagon to Keya Paha County in about 1885 and homesteaded just northeast of where the Union Church stands today. Earl and Imo were married March 1, 1903 and had a son Melvin E. Blake born Nov. 16, 1904. Earl was later married to Rosetta Soles on Sept. 21, 1913. They had a daughter Hazel Genievive Blake.

In July of 1885, T.R. Evans platted the town of Norden on land deeded to Joseph Fuller by the earliest settler of the ar...
12/12/2023

In July of 1885, T.R. Evans platted the town of Norden on land deeded to Joseph Fuller by the earliest settler of the area, Mr. Besteder or Bastedo, who in turn deeded the land to Mr. Evans. The village is said to have been named after a town in Germany, where some early settlers had come from.
T.R. Evans was the delegate of a large Welsh settlement in Missouri, who had suffered the loss of their homes in a tornado in 1883. Evans came to Keya Paha County and chose the Norden area as a suitable place for the group. Nearly a full train of them arrived in Ainsworth. Evans surveyed lots in Norden and sold them for about fifty cents. Evans served as county surveyor for four terms, dealt in real estate, and carried a loan business for Eastern Capitalists.
Rough native lumber was used to make the buildings in Norden. Lumber was cut in the canyons to the south and taken to a saw mill run with water power owned by Mr. DeWitt and the Kuhres.
Some of the postmasters in Norden were L.E. Stanley, Frank Brewster, Duff Morrison, Mrs. Stanley, Tom Clark, Francis Carlson, and Nell Lezotte. In the early days, Mr. Blackburn would carry mail between Springview and Fort Niobrara, taking a day for a one-way trip.
Homer Webb arrived in 1885 and became one of the oldest living homesteaders in the area. He maintained a lively interest in the affairs of his community. Mr. Webb and Warren Robinson combined their funds along with a loan from Bill Hawkins to build the fairgrounds on the present site.
The drug store was operated by Dr. J. J. Evans. Dr. Evans, Dr. Beattie, and seven different doctors served Norden through the years.
The weekly paper was called the Norden Borealis and Mr. Young was the owner in 1885. In 1890, Mr. Brewster bought the paper.
Condon and Meholin were Norden’s first bankers in 1887, selling out to Henry R. Logan in 1899.
Sam Black owned the hotel and livery barn. He came to Norden in 1894. He had driven oxen trails from Fremont to Denver before there were any railroads. He settled in the Lost Creek area before moving into Norden.
Stanley’s were the first owners of the store on the north side of town. There was one town well that was hand dug, two hundred feet deep and rocked to the top. This was the town pump where everyone got their water. Henry Best dug most of the early wells in the Norden area. He learned this business in Germany.
J.G. Petsel had a mercantile store in Norden. He was also an asset to Norden, taking an active interest in the Keya Paha County Agricultural Association, serving many years as an officer.

These gentlemen were identified in the July 7, 1983 Springview Herald as the first fifteen men to leave Keya Paha County...
10/11/2023

These gentlemen were identified in the July 7, 1983 Springview Herald as the first fifteen men to leave Keya Paha County for service in World War I. The date was September 22, 1917.

Early photos of businesses in Springview.
14/10/2023

Early photos of businesses in Springview.

Evergreen Community in Keya Paha County was the region above the Niobrara canyons north of Carns.  There were settlers l...
09/09/2023

Evergreen Community in Keya Paha County was the region above the Niobrara canyons north of Carns. There were settlers living in the region in 1880 and before. This territory has level prairies, some slightly rolling land and fertile hay flats. It was a desirable place to locate, being near wood and water, and the early home seekers, mostly from the east, eagerly sought out a quarter section of land from a homestead and filed their claim to it at the nearest land office. Stephenson Post Office was established in 1884 in the Evergreen Community, run by postmaster Wm. J. Stephenson and discontinued in 1890. It was approximately fifteen miles east of Springview. Stephenson also had a store and at least one term of school was taught in a room above the store, with Horace Bell the teacher at the time. Prior to 1884, Evergreen Community had a sod school house with a dirt floor and homemade benches for seats. It was later replaced by a frame schoolhouse. This school had to be replaced because of fire and the final structure was standing until the 1930's. Some names in the community in 1884 included Anderson, Ammon, Babbitt, Bahr, Bartholemew, Battles, Bell, Boyd, Charlton, Clifton, Colby, Conway, DeWitt, Denson, Dyre, Fateley, Fuller, Haffelfinger, Hamer, Hammers, Hicklin, Hinton, Hughston, Johnson, Kinney, Lane, Leach, Leamon, Loomis, Ludlum, Means, McLackland, McLaughlin, Paris, Prescott, Sage, Schafer, Scutt, Shelly, Smith, Stewart, Tarbell, Tingle, Totman, Webster, West, White, Wilcox, Will, Wolfe, and Vesey. Today, only a raised mound of prairie shows the former location of the Evergreen Schoolhouse and cellars remain from early homesteads. Much of the Evergreen history is told by the stones in the Evergreen Cemetery. Mr. and Mrs. Babbitt's infant son was the first burial in the cemetery, which was on their land at the time. A sad reality of the harsh times is told in the rows of infant children lost to a single family, a mother buried with an infant in her arms, and a child lost when getting hit on the head with a pump handle. Some stones are simply hand carved rocks, which may have been the only affordable option. Irises still continue to bloom on the these graves carefully placed on the prairie ground so many years ago.

31/08/2023
We appreciated the mention in Nebraska Life this month!
18/08/2023

We appreciated the mention in Nebraska Life this month!

Keya Paha County Agricultural Association - Norden, Nebraska 1898.
05/08/2023

Keya Paha County Agricultural Association - Norden, Nebraska 1898.

It was a productive afternoon at the museum...  mowing, w**d eating, tree trimming, basement work, gutter drainage work,...
13/07/2023

It was a productive afternoon at the museum... mowing, w**d eating, tree trimming, basement work, gutter drainage work, and window glass replacement!

At one time, there were a number of mills in operation in the area.   Andrew and Charity Bruce met and married in Keya P...
30/06/2023

At one time, there were a number of mills in operation in the area. Andrew and Charity Bruce met and married in Keya Paha County and later operated the Bruce Mill on the Niobrara River near Sparks. Charity Isabel De Witt was born April 21, 1875 at Yorebury, Illinois to William R. and Ruth Jane Bartlett De Witt. She was one of ten children. Andrew Bruce was born July 11, 1850 in New York City to Helen Scott Bruce and William Robert Bruce. Andrew and Charity were married February 13, 1891 by her father at the Lattin Post Office southwest of Norden. Andrew and Charity operated the Post Office and later operated the Penbrook Post Office as well. They operated the Bruce Mill until 1902. It was a burr flour mill. They tore down the mill and moved it to a location near Naper. During the spring of 1903, flood waters washed out the mill and it took until fall to repair it. The mill was flooded again in 1904 and they lost everything. This prompted the couple to leave Nebraska in 1908 and relocate to California.

The museum will be open today from 1pm - 5pm!
27/05/2023

The museum will be open today from 1pm - 5pm!

Thank you to everyone who came out last night!
27/05/2023

Thank you to everyone who came out last night!

We are open, come and join us for the car show, good food and don’t forget to take look around the historical building!
26/05/2023

We are open, come and join us for the car show, good food and don’t forget to take look around the historical building!

Come join us May 26, 2023 for our annual Cruise Night! Viewing of classic cars will be north of the Historical Society  ...
19/05/2023

Come join us May 26, 2023 for our annual Cruise Night! Viewing of classic cars will be north of the Historical Society from 6pm-8pm. The museum will be open for visitors from 5pm-9pm. Food will be served on site by the Community Betterment Committee. Starting at 7:30pm, the Class of 2023 KPHS graduates will be honored with their "Salute to Seniors" cruise. Other alumni are invited to join in. This will be followed by the annual cruising of classic cars from 8pm-10pm!

KPHS graduating classes of 1943, 1953, and 1963.
14/05/2023

KPHS graduating classes of 1943, 1953, and 1963.

Keya Paha County High School graduates from the the classes of 1913, 1923, and 1933.
03/05/2023

Keya Paha County High School graduates from the the classes of 1913, 1923, and 1933.

Located in Mills, Walter Jeness had one of the first sale yards in the country.  Cattle were driven on foot to the yards...
26/03/2023

Located in Mills, Walter Jeness had one of the first sale yards in the country. Cattle were driven on foot to the yards and sold. Louis Lee was the auctioneer, and Bert Hollenbeck was the yard man. A story was told that Grant Bothwell shipped a load of cattle to Omaha, but was not satisfied with the price, so had them shipped back to Bassett, and then driven to the Mills Sale Yards and sold. Here are some photos of the Mills Sale Yards in 1924.

These "Springview Race Meet" photos give a glimpse into the entertainment of the past! In the 1880's, the Fair Grounds a...
16/02/2023

These "Springview Race Meet" photos give a glimpse into the entertainment of the past! In the 1880's, the Fair Grounds and Race Track were located south of where the Springview Flour and Grain Mill was built.

District  #17 in Keya Paha County, known as the Liberty School, five miles north and one mile west of Springview, taught...
12/01/2023

District #17 in Keya Paha County, known as the Liberty School, five miles north and one mile west of Springview, taught many children over the years. J.H. Millett was listed as the Director in 1894 and in 1906, Gertie Schoettger was the teacher. The final schoolhouse was built in the 1960's and the old schoolhouse had been a half mile south of that site. In 1998, with too few students to make maintaining the school feasible, the school merged into District #56. Here is a photo of the Liberty School and a list of students in 1943.

Here is a photo taken in Springview during the blizzard of 1949.
23/12/2022

Here is a photo taken in Springview during the blizzard of 1949.

Progress on the exterior was made through the summer and fall.  Here are some before and after photos.  Hoping to get mo...
23/12/2022

Progress on the exterior was made through the summer and fall. Here are some before and after photos. Hoping to get more done in the spring!

One of the items in the museum is the safe from the First National Bank in Springview.  It was rendered unusable as a se...
19/11/2022

One of the items in the museum is the safe from the First National Bank in Springview. It was rendered unusable as a secure safe on Nov. 30, 1967. Robbers had broken into the bank and cut a hole in the front of the safe to remove the contents of the vault. At that time, the safe was given to Willard Schroeder of rural Keya Paha County, who used it for storage in his ranch shop. This is where it stayed until 1992 when the Schroeder family sold the ranch. The safe was then donated to the Historical Society. Kevin Schoettger graciously accepted the challenge of transporting the safe to town, but it proved to be more of an undertaking than anticipated. With the weight of the safe in the trailer, the trailer began to "whip" and caused the pickup to overturn on the gravel road enroute to town. Fortunately, no one was injured and the pickup was repaired. It was a happy day for all involved when the safe finally found a permanent resting place in the museum.

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210 E Football Avenue

68778

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