Nebraska

The village of Lancaster became the state of Nebraska's first capital city in 1867, renamed Lincoln. Not everyone predicted its success. One early observer noted: "There are no roads leading to it now. It has no commerce and there is scarcely a wagon load of produce raised annually within ten, perhaps twenty miles of it." These postcards from the authors' collections tell a different story in 200-plus images of a city that not only survived but thrived. Most of these images are from postcards' heyday in the first quarter of the 20th century. Many show buildings and places still recognizable a century later, while some depict less familiar scenes now lost.

In the spring of 1893, media titans George and Sarah Joslyn bought a farm in Omaha, Nebraska, that would prove to be one of the city's most noteworthy real estate transfers. On this land, the Joslyns would construct a transformational home that would become an Omaha landmark known as Joslyn Castle, a Scottish baronial-style home built of limestone from neighboring Kansas. They chose their good friend, Canadian-born architect John McDonald, to design the residence, and he did so in grand style. Over the years, the Joslyn Castle has survived a devastating tornado, served as a home base for the administrative staff of the Omaha Public Schools, and charmed thousands of visitors who have come to tour the grounds. It stands today as a reminder of a bygone era and the dream of the Joslyns, who shared their home--and their wealth--with the city they loved so much.

The entrance of the United States into World War II in 1941 completely transformed the nation. During this time, the small Nebraska towns of Mead and Wahoo in Saunders County were chosen to be the site of the Nebraska Ordnance Plant, one of three such plants in the state. The plant operated for 20 years—from 1942 to 1962. It served as an ordnance plant during World War II and the Korean War, then as an Atlas missile site from 1960 to 1962. Since then, the land has been sold to various interests, including the University of Nebraska and the Nebraska National Guard. The Nebraska Ordnance Plant uses over 150 photographs and their accompanying captions to tell the story of the profound effect the plant had on the social, economic, and environmental life of the county. 

Jennifer Garza is the assistant at the Saunders County Historical Society and a lecturer in the history department at the University of Nebraska. Erin Hauser is the curator at the Saunders County Historical Society.

The area around Bennington played an important role in the westward expansion of the United States. The Missouri and Platte Rivers were important travel corridors for indigenous peoples, early explorers, trappers, and pioneers. Railroads revolutionized travel and led to the creation of hundreds of small villages along the rail lines; Bennington, founded in 1887, was one of these villages. The arrival of the automobile and better roads decreased the dependency on rail service. By 1975, the rail line that created Bennington had been abandoned. Bennington benefitted from upgraded roads and highways and from suburban sprawl. In the meantime, the Washington community declined, eventually closing its school and church.

Boys Town: The Constant Spirit maps the remarkable journey of a tiny youth refuge, Father Flanagan's Boys' Home, from its humble beginnings in December 1917 to its role as a leading national force in youth care by the end of the century. Compiling over 200 photographs from the Boys Town archives, author James R. Ivey recreates the history of the ideas, successes, and triumphs of Father Flanagan and his boys.

In 1917, Father Edward J. Flanagan, a Roman Catholic priest and Irish immigrant, borrowed $90 from a friend to open a home for wayward boys in downtown Omaha. The first five boys he took off the streets moved in just after Thanksgiving of that year, and a legacy was born. Featured here in vintage photographs are the first house at 25th and Dodge Streets, the move to the spacious Overlook Farm, the road to Hollywood, and Father Flanagan's rarely noted assistance to Japanese Americans during World War II.