Donors have given 72% of the $2,200,000 needed to endow the paintings conservation laboratory at the Gerald R. Ford Conservation Center in Omaha. Thank you!
"An Evening with Ken Burns, America's Greatest Storyteller"On November 20, 2004, Ken Burns addressed more than eight hundred people, including students and teachers, at the Rococo Theatre in Lincoln. Burns, known for his epic PBS documentaries, was in Nebraska as the centerpiece for events sponsored by the Foundation. He was here to show his support for the important work of the Nebraska State Historical Society and the equally important support that the Foundation brings to that work from nongovernmental sources.
Read more about the Ken Burns event in the Foundation's January / February 2005 newsletter.
Brown Bag Lecture Series Forum,Funding for filming of the Brown Bag Lecture Series is provided by the Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation.
See a list of lectures videotaped previously with the help of your generous support.
WHO - WHAT - WHERE - WHEN: "The Bostock Studio" photographs
A gift of glass-plate negatives by Frank and Betty Potthoff of Palisade has helped complete the historical record of southwestern Nebraska but is also the gift that keeps on giving. Thanks to private support secured by the Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation, the Society has the equipment needed to scan the images and share them on the NSHS website. Digital scans also allow printing of multiple copies of the photographs without stress to the original negatives.
Get a Clue! The Foundation launched its first Lincoln History Mystery in 2003.
It was so much fun and such a success that it has become an annual event. Sleuthing teams hunt for answers to clues of historic buildings and places in Lincoln. Click the link to find out more about the upcoming "Lincoln's History Mystery"
Patriot truckThe Foundation was able to provide $11,750 for the purchase of a rare 1918 Patriot truck to add to the Museum of Nebraska History's collections. A .G. Hebb Motors manufactured Patriot trucks in Havelock, Nebraska, from 1918 to 1924. The Society's Patriot is one of only five known to be in running condition.
Civil War microfilmA donation to the Foundation enabled the Library/Archives Division of the NSHS to purchase forty-three rolls of microfilm containing military service records of volunteer Union soldiers from Nebraska Territory who served in the Civil War.
Buffalo Soldiers historical markerThe Foundation received $2,350 to enable the Society to purchase a new historical marker to be installed at Fort Robinson. The marker commemorates the Buffalo Soldiers of the Ninth and Tenth Cavalry, who served at the fort from 1885 to 1898 and 1902 to 1907, respectively.
Book publishing Funds
The Foundation has established revolving book publishing funds to pay up-front printing and production costs of books published by the Society. As the books sell, the proceeds are returned to the fund to replenish it, thus enabling additional books to be published and the fund to be used in perpetuity. Lawrence Bixby: Preserver of the Old Spade Ranch is a recent example of this fund's importance in the efforts to publish historically significant books. The book completely sold out within a few months (500 hardbound and 1,000 paperback editions). Without the support from a revolving publishing fund, the book never would have gone to press.
Gerald R. Ford Conservation CenterThrough the Paxson Endowment Fund, the Foundation provided over $2.5 million to construct and equip the new Gerald R. Ford Conservation Center in Omaha. The center provides facilities and services for the conservation and preservation of museum artifacts, textiles, and paper, including rare books, manuscripts, and photographs. It serves museums and libraries, as well as private clients, in Nebraska and across the country. The center has a public meeting hall and a permanent exhibit gallery dedicated to former President Gerald R. Ford (the only Nebraska native to become President of the United States).
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