SUBJECT: William Jennings Bryan's cape among "Nebraska Treasures" featured in August at the Nebraska State Historical Society's Lincoln facilities

A cape sported by three-time presidential candidate and Nebraskan William Jennings Bryan will be among "Nebraska Treasures" on exhibit in August at Nebraska State Historical Society facilities in Lincoln. The Museum of Nebraska History at 15th & P Streets will feature the cape worn by "the silver-tongued Orator" who also served as U.S. Secretary of State, 1913-15, and ended his career as prosecutor in the famous Scopes "monkey" trial in 1925. Bryan wore the cape between 1915 and his death in 1925, at a time when most men dressed in simple tailored overcoats.

An ancient "pot within a pot" dating from a thousand years ago is also on display at the museum. The partially reconstructed ceramic vessel was excavated during the 1930s by a Historical Society crew in Washington County, near Fort Calhoun. The site was occupied by prehistoric farmers sometime during the period from about A. D. 1100 to 1400. Whether inspired solely by the potter's creative and/or experimental impulses or intended to play tricks on family members and friends, the single vessel was designed to give the impression of a small pot sitting inside the mouth of a larger one. It is a unique find in Nebraska archeology.

More modern creative efforts are highlighted at the Society's headquarters building at 1500 R Street.

A photo album and journal documenting some of the intrepid auto touring adventures of a Lincoln couple who hit the road early in the 20th century--long before the road was paved is on exhibit in the headquarters rotunda.

Edward and Margaret Gehrke traveled extensively across the United States by car between 1916 and 1939, and visited almost every national park that existed, as well as numerous Civil War battlefields and cities around the country. Edward, a Lincoln contractor also known as "the Bungalow Man," was an amateur photographer and Margaret was a writer. Edward took great pains to document their adventures on film while Margaret tried to capture their trips in prose. In 1923, the Gehrkes traveled to Texas and the Gulf Coast and, as was usual on their trips, encountered interesting adventures along the way, as this journal entry notes:

"Dec. 12. We will remember our ride on Galveston beach, when this afternoon we foolishly stopped for a minute to take a picture and the car began to sink. We worked wildly, frantically but the tide was coming in so fast! I ran about for driftwood, while "Herr" jacked up, and the water drew in each time higher, leaving the wheels deeper in. Five miles out and still not a car coming! Each time we tried to start, the wheels would spin and sink lower, until now the front wheels had to be lifted too. I was running way up on the beach for more drift - anything! When I saw a car in the distance, I began to wave a handkerchief. So we were given a lift and hauled up onto the beach. It only goes to show that we are corn-fed Nebraskans, and any indulgence in water sport is hazardous. We are children of the prairie, we keep our water in a bathtub."

The Nebraska State Historical Society's Museum of Nebraska History is open 9-4:30, Tuesday-Friday and 1-4:30 Saturday and Sunday. The headquarters building is open 8-5, Monday-Saturday. All the artifacts are displayed as part of a year-long changing exhibit of "Nebraska Treasures," highlighting the 125 year collecting history of the Nebraska State Historical Society. Other treasures are featured at the Society's historic sites statewide. For more information call 471-3270 or visit www.nebraskahistory.org.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Museum: Brent Carmack, 402.471.3499

Headquarters: Lynne Ireland 402.471.4758