2010

HUNGRY FOR HISTORY?
Bring your lunch and fill your stomach and brain at the same time!
Third Thursday, 12 Noon, Nebraska History Museum, 15th. and P Streets, Lincoln, Nebraska.
Free admission and now on TV!
 

March 18

 "Conservation of Grant Wood's Corn Room Murals at the Gerald Ford Conservation Center"
Numerous fragments of painted corn farm scenery from the Council Bluffs Chieftain Hotel, painted by Grant Wood in 1927 and destroyed in 1970, have recently come to light after having been lost and dispersed for the past four decades. The range of conservation problems and issues will be discussed in the context of the effort to reunite the fragments and eventually return them to public display.

Presenter: Kenneth Bé (Head of Paintings Conservation, Gerald R. Ford Conservation Center)

April 15

"Make-work Projects of the New Deal in Nebraska."
"It isn't just about buildings, but all kinds of projects throughout the state under any number of programs; CCC, WPA, PWA, CWA, NYA and FERA. They are not necessarily all still in existence, but I plan to focus on the ones that are. They are not all on the National Register either, but many would be eligible."

Presenter: Jill Dolberg (NSHS Historic Preservation, Review and Compliance Coordinator)

May 20

"Taking Care of Your Family's Heirloom Photographs"
Your family's photographs are important, precious pieces of history and they deserve special attention. Learn how to better care for various types of 19th and early 20th century photographs. From Daguerreotypes and tintypes to glass plate negatives and cabinet cards, I will talk about how to preserve, store, and indentify your family's heirloom photographs. A picture is worth a thousand words. Learn what you ancestor's photographs are waiting to tell you.

Presenter: Karen Keehr (NSHS Photographs Curator)

June 17

"What Remains?: Archaeology at the Beaver Creek Trail Crossing Site"
(25SW49) A Historically Salvaged Road Ranch.
Between 1840 and 1866, 350,000 emigrants along with fur traders, soldiers, and merchants traveled across Nebraska on one of the many branches of the California and Oregon Trail. On one such branch, the Nebraska City Cut-Off, enterprising individuals set up a road ranch at the ford of Beaver Creek. This ranch grew into the town of Beaver Crossing comprising a post office, general store, and saloon housed in several buildings. The ranch and subsequent businesses existed for 9 years at this location, before the railroad compelled the town to move to a new location of the same name on the rail line. The Beaver Creek Trail Crossing Site (25SW49) provides a unique glimpse of an abandoned town site. It is unique because the buildings were extensively salvaged when the location was abandoned. Archival, archaeological, and stratigraphic evidence that support the salvage hypothesis will be presented, and are critical for understanding the history of the site. Methodological recommendations for future work on salvaged sites will also be presented. These will include how to identify a historically salvage site as well as excavation and interpretative strategies.

Presenter: Nolan Johnson (Archeologist)

July 15

"Wearing the Hempen Neck-Tie: Lynching in Nineteenth-Century Nebraska"

Presenter: Jim Potter (NSHS Historian, Editor)

August 19

"My Two Friends - Mari Sandoz and John Neihardt"
"This is a personal reminiscence of these two literary figures with whom I produced a number of television programs. Sandoz and Neihardt respected each other's work and were friends. Each had a distinct, disciplined approach they brought to writing, which was markedly different from one another. I explore these different approaches and provide a number of anecdotes related to working with them."

Presenter: Ron Hull (Senior Advisor to NET and Professor Emeritus of Broadcasting, UNL)

September 16

"Presenting Frightmares Since 1958 - A History of Nebraska's Creature Feature Hosts"
From Madam Cadaver to the Son of San Guinary, taking a quick peek at some of the television personalities who introduced those (usually awful) late night monster movies.

Presenter: Dale Bacon (NSHS Photographs, collector of ghost stories)

October 21

"Memory Quilts"
Throughout history, quilters have been recording their personal memories and stories in quilts. Signature quilts from the 1830's to today's computer generated photo-transfer quilts will be shown in this PowerPoint presentation. Sheila Green and Shirley Chaffin will share their research of quilts that evoke memories.

Presenters:
      Shirley Chaffin is a Charter member of the Nebraska State Quilt Guild and the Lincoln Quilters Guild, former VP. She is a Discover Nebraska volunteer in the fourth grade classrooms. Shirley has been quilting for 34 years and created the 2002 Nebraska State Quilt Guild raffle quilt.
      Sheila Green is Past President of the Lincoln Quilters Guild, Education Chair for the Nebraska State Quilt Guild, and presenter for Discover Nebraska in the fourth grade classrooms. She is a docent at the International Quilt Study Center and Museum. She has been quilting since 1998.

November 18

"50 Years of history from the Archives of NET"
"In this presentation I introduce video excerpts featuring Mari Sandoz, John Neihardt, Terry Carpenter, Bob Kerrey, Knobby Tiemann, Sandy Dennis, and others. I introduce each excerpt with an account of how we happened to produce the program and recount anecdotes relative to knowing and working with these people."

Presenter: Ron Hull (Senior Advisor to NET and Professor Emeritus of Broadcasting, UNL)

December 16

"Background and dedication of Abraham Lincoln Statue"
Gayla Koerting, Curator of Government Records for NSHS, will discuss the background and dedication of the standing Lincoln statue located at the west entrance of the Nebraska State Capitol. This bronze memorial statue with the words of the Gettysburg Address carved into the granite background was authorized by the legislature. The legislature created the Lincoln Centennial Memorial Association in 1903 and held a contest for candidates to submit entries. Daniel Chester French, who later designed the Washington Memorial in Washington, D.C., received the commission in 1909. The statue was dedicated three years later, and the famous Nebraska orator and politician, William Jennings Bryan, spoke to the crowd.

Presenter: Gayla Koerting (NSHS Curator of Government Records)

Held every third Thursday of the month at 12 noon in the Blackman Auditorium, Museum of Nebraska History, 15th & P Streets (131 Centennial Mall North), Lincoln, NE. 402-471-4754.

Free Admission

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Brown Bag Lecture Series on TV!

Time Warner Cable, Channel 5 in Lincoln

Check the Broadcast Schedule for the most current air times.

• Mondays, 5:30 p.m.
• Thursdays, 12 noon and 11:30 p.m.
• Fridays, 9:30 p.m.
• Sundays, 6 p.m.

Watch the Brown Bag lecture series each month on Time Warner Cable, government access channel 5 in the Lincoln area.

Funding for filming of the Brown Bag Lecture Series is provided by the Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation.

VHS tapes of previously presented Brown Bag Lectures may be borrowed from the Museum of Nebraska History Education office.