Research &
Collection
Research
The Library and Archives of the Stuhr Museum are located in the Edgar and Frances Reynolds Research Center. The Reynolds Center was made possible by generous grants from the Edgar and Frances Reynolds Foundation, Inc. and the Peter Kiewit Foundation.
The Research Department is open by appointment to all individuals interested in historical research and study. The department also offers seminars, workshops, and programs in genealogical and historical research; using local history in the classroom; preservation of family heirlooms; and interpreting family heirlooms, including photographs, textiles, and many other objects.
Hours:
Please contact the Research Department to make an appointment at least 72 hours prior to your visit.
Monday – Friday: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday: By appointment only
Sunday: CLOSED
Contact us: research@stuhrmuseum.org
More about the Research Department
When personal or historical items are left at a museum or when staff discover materials in the collection without clear documentation, it creates a unique challenge. Museums cannot legally exhibit or fully steward items they do not own, and caring for undocumented property requires time and resources. Addressing these situations responsibly is an important part of preserving history for the public.
Like many museums and cultural institutions, Stuhr Museum occasionally becomes home to objects or archival materials for which ownership cannot be confirmed. Nebraska law provides a process that allows museums to establish legal title to such property so it can be properly cared for, interpreted, and shared.
The Nebraska Museum Property Act (Nebraska Revised Statutes § 51-701 to 51-712) requires that institutions give notice of their intent to assert legal title. This is done by 1) publishing a statement in a newspaper that circulates in the county where the museum is located for one week, and 2) posting a list of the materials online for a minimum of three consecutive weeks. Per the Museum Property Act, Stuhr Museum will periodically assert legal title to undocumented property. These are items for which Stuhr Museum cannot determine the owner through existing records and have been in the possession of Stuhr Museum for at least 7 years. Simultaneously to the required publication in a newspaper, a list of items will be posted on this page for three consecutive weeks.
When a notice is active, a button will appear below linking to a downloadable list of the items. Anyone who believes they have a claim to an item must contact Stuhr Museum within one year of the newspaper publication date.
Advertised March 2026; contact Stuhr Museum by March 2027.
West 3rd Street, early 1890s
This photograph demonstrates just how busy the streets of Grand Island could be in the early 1890s. The street is full of carriages, buggies, and delivery wagons as well as pedestrians. We are looking from the east along the north side of the 100 block of West Third street. The businesses shown are from left to right: The First National Bank Building at 202 W. 3rd on the northwest corner of Locust and Third; H. P. Tucker & Co. Druggist at 124 W. 3rd; West & Schlotfelt at 120 W. 3rd; The gap is where there are staircases up to the second floors in the area; R. H. McAllister Hardware at 118 W. 3rd; D. W. Smith Boots & Shoes at 112 W. 3rd; Ed. W. Thomas Drygoods at 110 W. 3rd; Wiley Bros. Clothing at 108 W. 3rd; Knapp Bros. at 106 W. 3rd; and J. Spethman Books & Pacific Express Co with H. F. Estes agent at 104 W. 3rd. The blur in the center of the street is a young barefoot lad moving quickly across the middle of the somewhat muddy street.
Bentley – Paine Ladies
This photograph is a treasured image of three generations of the ladies of the Bentley family of Grand Island. From left to right are Harriett “Hattie” (Kerlin) Bentley, wife of Dr. Frederick J. Bentley, Anna (Harrison) Bentley, wife of Arthur Fisher Bentley, Angeline Alice (Fisher) Bentley, wife of Charles Frederick Bentley. She is holding her granddaughter, Alice Ella Paine, who was born in April 1903. Alice would later become librarian at GISH from 1925 to 1948, and Kearney State College from 1948 to 1965. Standing next to Alice is her mother, Grace (Bentley) Paine, wife of Judge Bayard H. Paine Sr. They are standing in the backyard of the Bentley home, which was located at 709 West Second Street.
The “elephant in the room” for this image stands in the background, beyond the fence. The full west side view of the original Hall County courthouse. To date, this is the only known image of that courthouse from the west side.
Heidkamp Flats
Not to be outdone by those who had constructed flats (apartments) before him, namely Otto Kirschke and William Scheffel, Gottlieb Heidkamp began looking into and arranging for the construction of flats in early 1913.
The Independent reported on the 17th of April that Heidkamp contracted with Otto Kirschke to draw the plans for two sets of flats to be constructed at the rear of his residential property on south Wheeler Street. On the 26th of May, the Independent announced that E. J. Voss had secured the contract to construct the two sets of flats for the price of $5,981.
Kell & Co. received the plumbing contract and Wingert & McElroy the heating contract. Wiring would be done by the city electric department. On June 17th it was noted that Hehnke-Lohman Co. had received the contract for the heating plant. By early July the flats were “progressing very rapidly.” The construction appears to have started a flat building boom as the Independent noted on the 29th of August with the announcement of the Huff flats on Koenig and another set of flats on Walnut Street.
On the 4th of October, the Independent stated that the Heidkamp flats would be completed in a week and one of the sets of Huff Flats would be ready for occupancy shortly thereafter. Both Huff Flat buildings still stand on Koenig and Walnut, and the Heidkamp flats, the Leschinsky glass plate above, still stands on Wheeler Street.
Electric Refrigerators for Sale, 1913
Pictured is the show window of the Hehnke-Lohmann Co. Hardware & Paint Store. The photograph was provided by the Locke Photo service and printed on April 1, 1931. The Grand Island Herald printed on April 2nd the announcement made by H. C. Noll of Omaha, distributors for Brunswick radios and Servel electric refrigerators that Hehnke-Lohmann Hardware company had been appointed as local dealers for their refrigerator line, which are pictured in the image shown.
The Servel Hermetic was touted as a simplified refrigerator with “no kitchen repairs, no intricate adjustments and no replacement of parts” needed. Advertisements continue to state that the Servel Hermetic was covered by a factory guarantee against defective parts and freedom from the trouble and expense of repairs, all priced within the comfortable reach of every income, with terms available.
The Servel company was based in Evansville, IN and was founded in 1923 as the National Electric Products Company. The name was changed to Servel, by combining “Serving Electric” together in 1925.
The Hehnke-Lohmann Co. was located at 210-212 West 2nd Street in Grand Island in 1931. According to a 1932 Hehnke-Lohmann ad, the company was originally established by James Cleary, who operated the hardware store from 1876 to 1888. Cleary sold out to Huper in Lange, who maintained the store until 1892, when Herman Hehnke Sr. acquired the interests of the Lange Brothers, and the store operated as Huper and Co. In about a year, Fred Lohmann took over Huper’s interests and the store became known as Hehnke and Co. They moved to the 210 – 212 West Second Street location in 1912 and incorporated the firm under the name Hehnke-Lohmann Co. Today the Hehnke-Lohmann Co. legacy lives on as Jerry’s Sheet Metal, Heating and Cooling.
August Niess Home
This photograph shows the home of the August Niess Family in 1896, which was located on that date at 307 S. Spruce St. (before the “Great Address Shift of 1926” – that’s another story). This photograph was from the personal scrapbook of Otto Niess. Writing on the back said the house was located south of the Bell Telephone Company, in what is now a parking lot for the old Elks Club Building.
The people pictured were identified on the back of the picture as Emma (Stelk) Niess, born 1863, daughter of Peter & Anna (Pieper) Stelk, wife of August Niess. The tallest child is Marie Helena Niess, born 1886, who later married Axel Emus Carlson in 1910, the middle boy is Theodore Henry Niess, born 1889, who later married Alice Elizabeth Wagner, and the smallest boy is Richard Ernest Niess, born 1894. August Niess served Grand Island as a police officer and as a member of the city’s volunteer fire department Always-Ready Hook & Ladder Co.
Collection
Stuhr Museum houses over 140,000 2D and 3D objects in our collection. With over 200 acres of property and over 100 structures on the museum grounds, Stuhr Museum exhibits numerous artifacts at any one time. Each of the objects on exhibit illustrates a unique component of the history of the Hall County and Central Nebraska region from the 1840s until 1930 and the individuals who called this region of the country their home. The famous Stuhr building, named for the founder of the museum Leo Stuhr, was created by renowned architect Edward Durell Stone. His son, Edward Durell Stone Jr., worked with his father to design the iconic landscape which surrounds the museum on all sides with water. The building is home to 15 permanent exhibits made up of historic Hall County artifacts, as well as 10 yearly rotating exhibits that highlight a variety of topics in either history or local artists and artwork.
Gus Fonner Memorial Rotunda
Many other buildings on Stuhr Museum grounds exhibit artifacts from different aspects of Hall County life and history. The Gus Fonner Memorial Rotunda houses the immense historical artifact collection of former Stuhr Museum benefactor Gus Fonner. The architecture of this building offers a clue to the contents exhibited inside, as the Rotunda was designed in the shape of a spoked, pioneer wagon wheel. The Fonner collection consists of 19th and early 20th century artifacts from the Western United States and is truly a sight to behold. The collection is comprised of military and civilian weapons, Southwestern United States Native American clothing, pottery and artwork, and accessories from the American home at the turn of the 20th century.
Farm Machinery & Antique Auto Collection
The Farm Machinery & Antique Auto Collection is located in its own building on the Stuhr Museum grounds as a salute to agriculture in the history of Nebraska. This collection of antique tractors, large farm equipment, and automobiles dates to the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is well known throughout the state and country as the home of several highly rare agricultural artifacts of this region and era. Each of the vehicles exhibited in this collection is in excellent condition and was driven into place in the building that they are currently displayed in.
Photography Collection
The photography collection at Stuhr Museum is comprised of some 50,000 photographs of the Hall County and Central Nebraska region. Over 28,000 of these photos originate from the work of long time Grand Island Nebraska photographer Julius Leschinsky, as Stuhr Museum houses the original glass plate negatives from his career. There are also sizeable collections of photographs from Hall County photographers Michael Murphy, Henry Locke, and Jack Bailey. These photographs capture diverse scenes from everyday life in Nebraska during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The photos document scenes from rural and urban settings; portrait photographs of men, women, and children from all walks of life; historic buildings and the businesses once housed within them; countless social and fraternal organizations; and all manner of heartfelt moments between friends and loved ones. The Stuhr Museum photography collection is a priceless treasure that all residents of central Nebraska are lucky to have available to them.
Object Donation Procedures
If you are interested in donating an item to the Stuhr Museum, please read the policy and procedures outlined below.
Policy & Procedures
- If you would like to donate an object to the Stuhr Museum collections, please make sure that you first have the legal possession of that object and have the legal authority to offer the donation.
- Please contact a member of the curatorial staff at Stuhr Museum by either email or phone with any information you may have about the object(s) you would like to donate including photographs, family history, or other relevant details. The information that you provide about your object will be a huge benefit to our curatorial staff and will be a help during the donation process.
- The Stuhr Museum Collections Committee meets at the beginning of each month and votes on every object offered for donation to Stuhr Museum during the previous month. The objects offered for donation will be accepted or denied based on several factors including but not limited to, the amount of collection storage space, relevance to the museum mission, the necessity of the object to the collection and the avoidance of redundancies, the condition of the object(s) being offered, etc.
- Once the Collections Committee has made their decision, our curatorial staff will reach back out to you with the decision of this committee and will either set up an appointment with you to donate your object(s), or if the donation has been denied, our staff will offer you recommendations for other institutions to consider donating your objects to.
Contact Information
Please submit all inquiries to :
Megan Sharp – Curator
msharp@stuhrmuseum.org
(308) 385-5316 ext. 244