John Pehle: Homegrown Humanitarian

By: Elise O’Neil There has long been a prevailing historical narrative that the United States did not put forth enough effort to save the lives of Jews and other marginalized groups in Europe during the Holocaust. Like so many hot-button issues today, the...

Councilman Betty Abbott: How the Times Have Changed

By: Tara Spencer Being the first to do something isn’t easy. But being the first woman or person of color to do something comes with its own set of challenges. Those pioneers are often met with more vitriol than accolades—and that kind of contempt can be doubled, and...

Ella Mahammitt: An American Story

By: Rita Shelley Ella Mahammitt was an Omaha journalist, civil rights advocate, and women’s rights activist. From 1891 until 1897, she edited The Enterprise, a black weekly newspaper published here. Image source: The Enterprise, Easter edition, 1896. Newspapers.com....

Society of Amateur Chefs: A Taste for Indulgence

By Tara Spencer In the late 1930s, a group of men in New York City decided they wanted to show off their culinary talents to their peers. Thus, the Society of Amateur Chefs was formed. Their first organizational meeting was held at the Hotel New Yorker in October,...

An Early History of the Omaha Fire Department

By: Natalie Kammerer In continuation of our holiday exhibit and blog series dedicated to Highlighting our Heroes, we’ve done a deep-dive into some of our collections that tell the early history of Omaha’s Fire Department. We unfortunately don’t have names to put to...

Ukulele Joe Thomas:
New Orleans to Nebraska and Nevermore

By: Tara Spencer There’s something about the dainty, plucky sound of a ukulele that immediately puts one at ease. Perhaps it’s the association with Hawaii—a paradise on Earth—or the often soothing voices that accompany it, such as Israel Kamakawiwo‘ole and Queen...

Horrific History

By Tara Spencer Every community has its own tales of spiritual happenings, hauntings, and horror. In my hometown, there was an abandoned house known simply as Unity where people claimed to have seen buckets of blood in the barn and experienced forces pushing them and...