Historical Material from UNO Libraries' Archives & Special Collections

The papers of June Turney include correspondence written to family and friends when she was a teenager or young woman in the late 1930s during the Great Depression. The letters were sent from June Turney’s time at Moss Lake Summer Camp in Eagle Bay, New York and a later trip to California.

The autograph book of Marie Engelkew includes brief personal messages and quotations from friends in family. Most of the messages date from 1894 with others dated 1895, 1900, and 1901. The messages are predominantly from Grand Island, Nebraska and the Academy of the Visitation in Dubuque, Iowa. A cutout of a dog is pasted on the first page of the autograph book. The autograph book is in the shape of a rhombus with a wooden cover (perhaps walnut) and teal velvet binding and back cover.

A photo album of a white family in Omaha, Nebraska includes photographs of adults in children around the home and in a rural setting. Notable photos include a series from the 1898 Trans-Mississippi Exposition in Omaha including a see-saw ride, "The Old Plantation" stage, Arch of States, streets of all nations featuring a camel, the lagoon, the administration building, and others. A photograph of a tree is identified as "the surrender tree - San Juan Hill - Santiago" in Cuba, which along with another caption referencing "Remember the Maine!" and a photo of a young man in a presumably military are references to the Spanish American War in Omaha.

The Omaha Theater Company Records contain materials from 1949 to the present, documenting the history of the organization, its administration, and its productions. The organization changed names during the covered period, starting as the Omaha Junior Theater in 1948, becoming the Emmy Gifford Children's Theater in 1977, and becoming the Omaha Theater Company for Young People in 1993, eventually shortening the name to the Omaha Theater Company. The group performed in the Center Theater from 1974 until 1993, when they moved into the Rose Blumkin Performing Arts Center, commonly known as The Rose.

The diary of Susan Haney documents the daily activities of this young girl and teenager. She is presumed to live in western Nebraska as she mentions visiting North Platte, Nebraska. Haney’s entries in her diary reference typical childhood and youth activities such as attending piano lessons, Girl Scouts, choir practice, and hunting along with family events such as the wedding of her brother Bill, the death of her grandfather, and visiting family and friends. The diary is a five year diary, but most entries are for 1955-1957 with minimal entries for later.

The UNO Teaching Ephemera Collection includes various ephemeral materials not directly related to the University of Nebraska at Omaha nor to Nebraska in general, but from a variety of sources and on a variety of topics in support of UNO curriculum.

See component record for each series for details. Includes examples of early photography, trading cards, advertisements, and other ephemera.

The Valley Grove School Collection contains original materials from the Valley Grove School, District No. 9, in Dodge County, Nebraska, covering the period from 1867 until 1951. The majority of materials are handwritten. The collection includes student homework assignments (individual assignments and composition books), school finances (itemized bills, treasurer's ledgers, invoices, receipts, and cash books), legal documents (1867 contract for building the schoolhouse, 1963 land sale documentation, teacher contracts, district and valuation information, correspondence, forms, reports, school censuses, etc.), district and school board meeting records (minutes, correspondence, and financial records), information about the school building (specifications, photographs, insurance receipts, etc.), information about school history (essay, programs, correspondence, etc.), and school documents (attendance records, grade books, records of textbooks used). Artifacts in the collection include a scrap of wallpaper from inside the school, three nails from the schoolhouse roof, and a ribbon with the school's name printed on it.

The records of the YMCA of Greater Omaha include material from the organization’s founding in the 19th century through the 21st century. Material documenting board meetings from the 1880s to the early 21st century is nearly complete. Also included are: fundraising material, membership information, marketing material, photographs (bulk 1970s-1990s), scrapbooks, and a small amount of media formats including VHS videotapes. The scrapbooks contain newspaper clippings as well as ephemera such as broadsides and booklets. In addition to the activities of the boards of directors, fundraising, and membership, other topics with at least sporadic documentation include programming, long range planning, summer camps, athletic teams such as basketball and football, and others.