News Letter - Seward County Historical Society Museum

Seward County Historical Society
News Letter
May 2012
Membership
If you are an Annual or Contributing member, look at the mailing label on this
News Letter, Your dues year is indicated behind your membership type. If it
still shows 2011, this is your last News Letter. DON”T LET THIS HAPPEN,
send in your 2012 dues. This is an exciting year with many improvements on
last year’s activities, also there are many new programs and activities being
planned.
Goehner 125 th Anniversary
Lucinda Johnson is heading up the group developing the community celebration
of Goehner’s 125th Anniversary. She is encouraging EVERYBODY to come to
a planning meeting at the Goehner Fire Hall on Wednesday May 30th at 7:30 PM.
The Celebration is scheduled for Saturday & Sunday August 25th & 26th
News Letter
This is the second year of the Societies Monthly News Letter. We would like
some ideas on what a news letter should look like, format, stories, pictures,
WHAT? Should it be mainly Societies business and activities? Maybe more
pictures? Old stories? YOUR input would be greatly appreciated. A lot of you
say “Oh the News Letter is great”, but it would be better if you voiced your ideas,
even criticism is good.
Lets make it something that everybody looks forward to reading, what is in the
next monthly issue.
Submit your thoughts to: torp [email protected]
Web Site
Don’t forget our great Web Site furnished by Jordy McGowan. Here again if you
have ideas for expanding it, don’t be bashful, share those thoughts.
Web Site is: http://www.sewardcountymuseum.org/home.html
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Nathan Reed
Beating your head against the wall? Are you tired of doing it the hard way?
“Man, there has to be an easier way to do this.” We all have said it at one time.
Many of our day to day chores and jobs have become easier thanks to ingenious
new inventions. These inventions have made life easier and more productive.
Have you ever stopped and wondered, “How was this job done in the past”? ”We
have the answer”! From a hay machine, from the turn of the century to the
washing machine that made mom so irritable, it’s all here. See the progression
and ingenuity of America. Come “ooh” and “aww” at a dentist office of the past
or take a look into they ways a school house was a major part of a community.
The arrival of springtime adds a bunch of activities to our schedules. Take a few
moments and transfer some of the Seward County Historical Society activities
to your calendar as a reminder of all the great things your museum does
throughout the summer!
We’re having a great time and hope you can join us!
Train Fireman
On September 29, 1907, the three older children of the Dixon family, living
about one mile from Seward, started for school. Baby Gladys Dixon, who was
only nineteen months old, went with them a little distance. Away the children
ran, and Gladys was soon left behind. Still she followed on until she came to the
Burlington Railroad track.
It was nearly time for a train to pass, but Gladys did not know that. She stood
close to the rails and waved her hands as the great black engine came in sight.
The engineer tried to stop the train. Fireman Lux looked out and saw the child
upon the track. He ran out on the foot-board and reached the pilot just as the
engine was close upon the little one. There was no time to lose. He sprang from
the pilot and while in the air, caught Gladys in his arms, and they rolled together
down the high embankment. What followed is told by Mrs. Dixon: "As soon as
the children started for school, I began to do the morning 's work in the house.
Just as I was washing the dishes, I heard the train and the engine gave a strange
scream. I thought of Gladys, and my heart gave a big jump. I started out, and just
as I reached the door, the train stopped and Mr. Lux was bringing the baby up to
the house."
The railroad people gave Mr. Lux a gold watch for his bravery. The parents of
Gladys gave him a handsome diamond charm to wear with the watch, and little
Gladys received a ring with a blue sapphire from the man who saved her life.
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Building & Grounds
The Society’s Board of officers vote to purchase a new John Deere 1435 with a 72 inch
mowing deck a few months ago from Plains Power Group over at Seward. It was also
decide that the Society’s current mower a John Deere F525 with a 52 inch mowing deck
and that is about 20 years old gone through correcting all issues with the mower. The
F525 came back on April 12th and run as good as it did in the first years the Society had
it. On April 17th the new mower was delivered to the Society at the Museum. Board
Member Nathan Reed and your Treasurer were there to photograph the event and test
out the new mower. After receiving instructions from the Plains Power Group person
we tested out the mower on the front grounds and found it to be everything we had
planned for. That evening I spent about an hour mowing about half the grounds and
getting use to the new mower. On Wednesday evening I came back out and finished up
mowing. Total time on the mower was just over 2 hours. With the older mower it would
take between 6 and 7 hours to completely mow the grounds. The new mower is diesel
powered with power steering and an air-ride seat. It is far better riding than the older
mower. We will still use the older mower to get the up close mowing where we cannot
get to with the bigger mower. The mowing operation for 2012 will go something like
this. First mow the edges and do the close mowing. This will take about 20 to 30
minutes with the little mower. Then finish up with the bigger mower. Once the operator
gets use to it this should take about 1 ½ hours. We mainly mow on Wednesday as this
give the Museum grounds a nice mowed look for Thursday’s visitors and by Sunday
the grounds really look their best as the grass has a little time to recover from the
mowing. On Saturday May 19th at 1:30 PM we will hold a Safety & Instructions class
for all members that wish to help out with the seasonal mowing of the grounds. There
will be a short Video to watch then for all volunteers, this will be followed by a walk
of the grounds show the various areas and what to watch out for. After this all members
will get some drive time on running both mowers. So if you are interested in helping
out with the mowing of the Museum grounds come on out. Jim Culver
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The Eberspacher House
Executed in the Queen Anne style, the Gottlob and Anna stands
on the grounds of the Seward County Historical Society in
Goehner. It was originally located on a farmstead west of
Milford and built in 1906 for just under $5,000. The house
featured battery-powered electric lights, the batteries for which
were charged by a small gasoline-powered generator. When
Gottlob died in 1948, Anna continued to live in the house with
two of her daughters. When Anna died in 1978, at the age of
101, the farm was sold and the house was remodeled. In 1995,
Richard and Nancy Knuth do-under the condition that it be
moved; which makes it In February 1996, the home was moved
four miles northwest and across I-80 to its current location.
house was restored to its original appearance and it was
decorated and furnished with circa 1910 items. that time, the
museum has obtained numerous heirlooms from the Eberspacher
family to further enhance the home’s original appearance.
Eberspacher House
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BEAVER CROSSING
The original site of Beaver Crossing was located about three miles to the
northwest. Here a trail from Nebraska City to Fort Kearny crossed Beaver
Creek. John Leonard and Daniel Millspaugh were the first settlers in this area
in 1862. Roland Reed established the first post office in January 1868.
About 1871 the post office was moved to the present-day town site where a
flour mill had been built. During this decade many settlers arrived and
Beaver Crossing grew and prospered. The town was incorporated in 1892.
This area was well known for its artesian wells. The first one was discovered
in 1895. Wells in this park poured fresh water into what was once the largest
swimming pool in the state. Other wells supplied the Smiley Botanical
Gardens on the southeast edge of town. In the 1930s goldfish and water lilies
were raised there commercially in fifty ponds. Later, the demands of
irrigation dropped the water table and the artesian wells went dry.
Milford
Founded by J. L Davison in 1864 near the limestone ford where the Nebraska
City to Fort Kearny "Steam Wagon Road" crossed the Blue River, Milford is
the oldest town in Seward County, serving as the first county seat until 1871.
Milford was home to the famous Shogo mineral water springs and the
Quenchaqua flour mills (1867-1934).
In 1877 several hundred Ponca Indians passed through Milford when the
government forced the tribe to move from their Nebraska homeland to an
Oklahoma reservation. Prairie Flower, the daughter of Ponca Chief Standing
Bear, died here on June 5, and was buried in an unmarked grave.
A sanatorium built in 1889 became a state soldiers' and sailors' home from
1895 to 1939, now the location of Southeast Community College. The
Nebraska Industrial Home for unwed mothers (1889-1953), the famed
"Shogo Island" pleasure resort, and Cavalry Troop A of the Nebraska
National Guard were all located in Milford. The town is the birthplace of
Harry Culver, founder of Culver City, California
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At the April 2012 Quarterly Meeting the following new officers were
elected;
President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
Board Members
Jean Kolterman — Seward
Lynn Reinmiller — Staplehurst
Wendy Smith — Lincoln
Jim Culver — Lincoln
Shirley Ingelslew — Seward
Nathan Reed — Seward
Jon Kruse — Seward
Contact information:
Officers
Email
[email protected]
Telephone
(402) 523-4055
U.S. Mail
PO Box 188
Goehner, NE 68364-0188
News Letters on-line:
http://www.sewardcountymuseum.org/newsletter.html
The following were assigned
Buildings & Grounds
Car Show
Display and Care
Eberspacher House
Librarian
Membership/News Letter
Railroad
School House
Web Site
Museum Hours:
committee chairmen:
Jim Culver
Larry Ray
Carol Larson & Adeline Geis
Ron Eberspacher
Joan Kennel
Bob Culver
Nathan Reed
Shirley Ingelslew
Jordy McGowan
Sunday
1:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Thursday 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
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