Monthly Archives: April 2025

Celebrate Summer at the Museum

Celebrate Summer at the Museum with the Nemaha County Historical Society

Seneca, Kansas — The Nemaha County Historical Society is ushering in the summer season with a full slate of activities designed to bring the community together while honoring the area’s rich history. From garage sales and food stands to special museum hours and historical exhibits, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

Museum Garage Sale: June 4–6
The season kicks off with a Museum Garage Sale at 113 N. 6th Street from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors can browse for treasures while supporting the preservation of local history through free-will donations.

Bike Across Kansas Food Stand: June 12
On June 12, the Society will operate a food stand in Seneca’s City Park as cyclists from Bike Across Kansas ride through town. Volunteers will serve up pie, cinnamon rolls, cookies, and snacks, with all proceeds supporting museum activities.

Flag Day and Museum Days: June 14
A special Flag Day and Museum Days celebration will take place on June 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at two museum locations. Annex 1 (113 N. 6th) will feature a Historic Flag Display, while the Military Museum (33 N. 6th) will showcase newly refreshed exhibits that honor local service members.

Sunflower Summer Saturday Hours: July 12 – August 2
As part of the Sunflower Summer program, the museums will be open Saturday mornings from July 12 through August 2. Visitors can explore the exhibits from 10 a.m. to noon.

Car Show Breakfast: July 27
Car enthusiasts and breakfast lovers alike are invited to a Car Show Breakfast on July 27 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. in City Park. This event promises good food and classic cars in a relaxed, community setting.

Regular Museum Hours and Tours
Throughout the summer, the museums will be open Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors are asked to start at Annex 1 for tours, questions, or to donate historical items. Appointments are also welcome for those who wish to visit at a different time by calling 785-336-1313.

As the Historical Society encourages everyone to “Let History Bloom This Summer,” community members are invited to follow the organization on Facebook or visit nemahacountyhistoricalsociety.com for more information.

Women in Armed Forces

Throwback Thursday

Have you seen the Civil War–era cannon on the lawn of the Military Museum in Seneca, Kansas? If so, did you know that this cannon was originally placed in the Seneca City Cemetery by George Graham Post No. 92 of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.)?

Pictured below is the G.A.R. monument at the Seneca Cemetery, showing the cannon in its original place of honor.

2019.02.13
https://nemahahistory.catalogaccess.com/photos/7232

Nemaha County Historical Society Upgrades Museum Software with Help from Rainbow Communications

When you’re looking for a book at the library, do you browse the shelves or head straight to the catalog? If you prefer to browse, you’ve probably experienced the frustration of discovering that the item you want is checked out or stored elsewhere. That’s where a catalog comes in handy—helping you locate what you need, even if it’s not right in front of you.

The same concept applies to museums.

Visitors to a museum can browse the displays, but many more items are stored behind the scenes in archives and storage areas. To manage and keep track of these collections, museums rely on specialized software. Thanks to the foresight of its board of directors, the Nemaha County Historical Society has long used a program called PastPerfect to catalog and manage its extensive holdings.

Until recently, however, access to that software was limited to a single location—the Harry C.M. Burger Annex. That changed in a big way thanks to a generous grant from Rainbow Communications.

The grant funded much-needed workstation upgrades and made it possible to convert PastPerfect to a cloud-based platform. Now, museum volunteers can access the software not only from the annex, but also from the Military Museum and other buildings across the historical society’s campus.

Even better, the public can now browse or search the collection online. As new items are added, the cloud-based system updates the public access site in real time—allowing researchers, history buffs, and curious community members to explore the collection from the comfort of their homes. (https://nemahahistory.catalogaccess.com/home)

With more than 12,000 items in the society’s care, this upgrade significantly improves the way the museum manages, shares, and preserves local history.

The Nemaha County Historical Society extends its sincere thanks to Rainbow Communications for making this vital improvement possible.

Throwback Thursday

While browsing the Random Images section of the Nemaha County Historical Society’s Online Collections, I came across a postcard featuring The Great Nemaha Mercantile Company. This once-thriving business was located on the southwest corner of Fourth and Main Streets in Seneca, Kansas.