Nebraska City Historical Society Podcast

Kathy McKillip
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The official podcast of the Nebraska City Historical Society, hosted by Kathy McKillip. Each episode explores the people, places, and events that define Nebraska City's history, featuring conversations with historians, longtime residents, and community members dedicated to preserving the town's story.

Episodes

  1. Sep 21

    How Nebraska City Lost the Capital (and Won at History Anyway)

    Dr. Sarah Crook joins Kathy McKillop to talk about her decades of work with Nebraska history organizations — from six years on the Nebraska State Historical Society board to her current role with the Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation, which helps fund tours, museum partnerships, and the "Wander Nebraska" program that gets travelers off I-80 and into the state's small-town museums and local businesses. The conversation then turns to one of Nebraska's best origin stories: the fight over where to put the state capital. Hear how the sleepy, riverless hamlet of Lancaster beat out Omaha and Fremont, how Omaha operatives allegedly hid every dictionary in the room to stall the spelling of "capital" vs. "capitol," how the new town got named Lincoln as part of a political trick that backfired, and how state records were smuggled out of Omaha under cover of darkness to make the move official. Along the way, Dr. Crook explains how Nebraska City — once a thriving Missouri River "jumping off point" — found its own growth slowed as the railroad reshaped the state around Lincoln and Omaha instead.

  2. Sep 21

    From Jumping-Off Point to Melting Pot: Immigration and Nebraska City's Early Growth

    Dr. Sarah Crook returns to the Nebraska City Historical Society podcast with Kathy McKillop to explore how the region grew from frontier outpost to settled community. They trace Nebraska City's roots to old Fort Kearney (built in 1846, later relocated west, and famously misspelled), the pivotal 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act, and why the town became a favored "jumping off point" for westward travelers along the Missouri River. The conversation turns to the waves of European immigrants — largely German Lutherans, alongside Irish, Polish, Czech, and Swedish settlers — who were drawn west by railroad recruiting campaigns and the Homestead Act, and how many small Nebraska towns still celebrate that heritage today through food and festivals. Along the way, Dr. Crook shares the sobering story of anti-German sentiment during World War I, when speaking German was criminalized and towns like Berlin, Nebraska renamed themselves overnight. A wide-ranging look at the people, policy, and geography that built Nebraska City and the state around it.

  3. Sep 21

    The Woman Behind Nebraska City's Underground Railroad Story

    Dr. Sarah Crook joins Kathy McKillop of the Nebraska City Historical Society to share the remarkable, often overlooked story of Barbara Mayhew — one of Nebraska City's earliest settlers and the sister of John Cagey, John Brown's right-hand man. Dr. Crook, who has portrayed Barbara in living-history performances for nearly two decades, traces how the Mayhew cabin (long known locally as "John Brown's Cave") became a stop on the Underground Railroad, the dangerous route abolitionists and freedom seekers traveled through Nebraska, Kansas, and Iowa, and the high stakes — imprisonment, fines, even death — faced by those who helped. The conversation follows Barbara's brother John Cagey from the Shenandoah Valley to Bleeding Kansas to Harper's Ferry, where he was among the first killed, and reflects on what it meant for ordinary families like the Mayhews to risk everything for a cause that didn't directly benefit them. A moving look at territorial-era Nebraska, women's history, and the human side of the fight against slavery

  4. Sep 21

    Building America One Wagon at a Time: The Lost Craft of the Freighter's Wagon

    In this episode, the Nebraska City Historical Society sits down with Doug Hansen of Hanson Wheel & Wagon Shop and historian Dr. Sarah Crook to explore the hand-forged craftsmanship behind the freighter's wagon — the workhorse vehicle that helped move 44 million pounds of freight out of Nebraska City in 1866 alone. Doug shares how a lifelong fascination with regional trails and historic vehicles turned into decades of self-taught, archaeologist-style research into wagon construction, from wheelwrighting and blacksmithing to the rigging systems that let teams of mules and oxen haul massive loads across the plains. The conversation covers the pre-industrial-revolution structure of Doug's shop, what makes the Concord stagecoach such a marvel of engineering, and why the unsung teamsters and bullwhackers who kept freight moving west deserve far more credit than they get. A must-listen for anyone curious about the real engineering and economic backbone of westward expansion.

  5. Sep 10

    Camp Creek Cemetery

    Host Kathy McKillip is joined by Nebraska City Historical Society board member Lucille Sharp to explore the history of Camp Creek Cemetery, a rural burial ground established in 1866 south of Nebraska City. Lucille traces the cemetery's roots to the area's earliest settlers along the Jim Lane Trail, its ties to the Underground Railroad through the grave of Barbara Mayhew Bradway, and the story behind its "Stranger Lots" — a section reserved for unidentified travelers who died far from home. The conversation covers the National Register-listed 1917 chapel, its individually wrapped imported brick, and how a century-old cemetery continues to be documented, maintained, and honored today. Learn more at NebraskaCityHistoricalSociety.com or on Facebook.

  6. Sep 10

    The Story of First United Methodist Church

    Host Kathy McKillip is joined by Nebraska City Historical Society board member Lucille Sharp to trace the history of First United Methodist Church, often called the "mothership" of Nebraska City religious life. Founded in 1855 through the work of missionary William D. Gage, the church survived a collapsed roof, multiple expansions, and a century-plus of remodeling — with the original 1855 south wall still standing today. Lucille walks through the stories behind the sanctuary's stained glass windows, each donated in memory of early Nebraska City families, and reflects on the ongoing challenge of keeping historic congregations vibrant in the modern era. Learn more at NebraskaCityHistoricalSociety.com or on Facebook.

  7. Sep 9

    The Morton Family: From the Missouri River to Arbor Lodge

    Host Kathy McKillip is joined by Nebraska City Historical Society board members Gloria Glover and Lucille Sharp to trace the arrival and legacy of the Morton family, who journeyed by steamboat, stagecoach, and wagon from Michigan to Nebraska Territory in 1854 — among the earliest white settlers in the region. The trio follows Sterling and Caroline Morton's story from their prairie homestead and famous orchards through Sterling's tenure as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Caroline's steady influence as the family's constant, and the accomplishments of their four sons — including Joy Morton, founder of the Morton Salt Company. The conversation closes with the family's lasting gift to the state: Arbor Lodge, donated in 1923 to become Nebraska's first state historical park. Learn more at NebraskaCityHistoricalSociety.com or on Facebook.

  8. Sep 9

    Frank Zimmerer: From Nebraska City Murals to a California Art Career

    Host Kathy McKillip is joined by Nebraska City Historical Society board members Gloria Glover and Lucille Sharp to explore the life of Frank Zimmerer (1882–1965), a Nebraska City native who became a nationally recognized muralist and commercial artist. Trained in Chicago, Paris, and Scotland, Zimmerer painted the large-scale murals still found in the Otoe County Courthouse and Pioneer Theater before later serving as art director at Northwest Missouri State University and eventually building a second career in Los Angeles, where his style evolved into folk and geometric design. The trio discusses his devotion to his German immigrant mother, the Historical Society's ongoing effort to track down and preserve his original works — several of which are now on display at the Nelson House — and the many open questions that remain about his life and career. Learn more at NebraskaCityHistoricalSociety.com or on Facebook.

  9. Sep 9

    Edwin Stanton Gregg: Nebraska City's Renaissance Man of Local History

    Host Kathy McKillip is joined by Nebraska City Historical Society board members Gloria Glover and Lucille Sharp to explore the life of Frank Zimmerer (1882–1965), a Nebraska City native who became a nationally recognized muralist and commercial artist. Trained in Chicago, Paris, and Scotland, Zimmerer painted the large-scale murals still found in the Otoe County Courthouse and Pioneer Theater before later serving as art director at Northwest Missouri State University and eventually building a second career in Los Angeles, where his style evolved into folk and geometric design. The trio discusses his devotion to his German immigrant mother, the Historical Society's ongoing effort to track down and preserve his original works — several of which are now on display at the Nelson House — and the many open questions that remain about his life and career. Learn more at NebraskaCityHistoricalSociety.com or on Facebook.

  10. Sep 9

    Reviving the Memorial Building

    Host Kathy McKillip talks with Nebraska City Historical Society board members Gloria Glover and Lucille Sharp about the decade-long restoration of the historic Memorial Building — from its 1929 construction (funded by an impressive $75,000 raised during the Great Depression) through its closure in 2007 and the ambitious renovation effort launched in 2016. They cover the grants that made it possible (including a Pella Foundation gift that replaced over 150 historic windows and a nail-biting ARPA grant during COVID), the less glamorous but essential work — elevators, HVAC, code compliance — and the building's unexpected turn as home base for the film Snack Shack. It's a look at what it really takes to bring a century-old community landmark back to life. Learn more at NebraskaCityHistoricalSociety.com or on Facebook.

  11. Sep 9

    1937 and Counting: The Origin Story of the Nebraska City Historical Society

    Host Kathy McKillip sits down with board members Gloria Glover and Lucille Sharp to trace the Nebraska City Historical Society's roots back to its founding in 1937 by four women from the Nebraska City Women's Club's literature department. From its original mission to preserve the history of Otoe County to its evolution into a property steward with the 1996 gift of the historic Nelson House, this episode covers the milestones, the people, and the friendly rivalry with Hall County over who can claim the title of Nebraska's oldest historical society. Along the way, the trio reflects on why local history, and the organizations that preserve it, matter more than ever.

  • 11 Episodes

About

The official podcast of the Nebraska City Historical Society, hosted by Kathy McKillip. Each episode explores the people, places, and events that define Nebraska City's history, featuring conversations with historians, longtime residents, and community members dedicated to preserving the town's story.

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