This building was constructed by community effort in 1871 of native limestone as the Congregational Church and served in that capacity until a new brick church was constructed 1887-1890. The nearby stone parsonage, first occupied in 1867, was sold in 1870 to provide funds for the 1871 church. The old church provided space for the chapel, classrooms, and library for the Weeping Water Academy which was established in 1885, as its founders felt their children could not receive adequate training in the local public schools of the day. An active promoter of the school was the Rev. George Hindley. Due to his efforts, the school became and remained identified with the Congregationalists, although the work was largely nondenominational. Three formal courses of study were offered including classical, scientific and English Normal. As enrollment increased, other buildings were utilized or constructed with the largest being Hindley Cottage. The school closed in June, 1914, due to decreased enrollment as public schools improved. During its 29 years of existence, the academy had some 220 graduates. In 1917 this building became the "Weeping Water Academy Library" and continues to serve as the public library today.
]]>On this day the expedition to the Pacific Ocean passed the Platte River. Captain Clark wrote, "This Great river being much more rapid than the Missourie forces its current against the opposit Shore . . . we found great dificuelty in passing around the Sand at the mouth of this River. Capt Lewis and My Self with 6 men in a perogue went up this Great river Plate about 1 miles... I am told by one of our Party who wintered two winters on This river that it is much wider above, and does not rise more than five or Six feet.... The Indians pass this river in Skin Boats which is flat and will not turn over."
Clark mentioned other streams including "Papillion or Butterfly Cr, 18 yds. wide," which empties into the Missouri a few miles north of here. After passing the mouth of the creek, the expedition camped for the night on the Nebraska side. Clark records "a Great number of wolves about us this evening."
]]>When the outbreak of war between the states became imminent in the spring of 1861, the citizens of Plattsmouth were quick to respond to the impending crisis. Without waiting for President Lincoln's call for volunteers, Dr. Robert R. Livingston organized a company of infantry to be held in readiness for Federal service. The men elected Livingston their captain and the women of Plattsmouth sewed a flag which they presented to the company. On June 11, 1861, the Plattsmouth volunteers were mustered in as Company A, First Nebraska Volunteer Infantry. For three years, the regiment campaigned in the South, participating in major battles at Fort Donelson and Shiloh in Tennessee. Returning to Nebraska in 1864, the regiment (by then a cavalry unit) was sent to Fort Kearny. From there, small detachments were deployed to protect emigrant wagon trains, mail and passenger coaches, and road ranches against the threat of Indian attack. The regiment continued in service on the plains until July, 1866, when it was mustered out at Omaha. Robert R. Livingston rose to command the First Nebraska, with the rank of Brevet Brigadier General, before returning to private life at Plattsmouth.
]]>The establishment of St. Patrick's Cemetery is typical of that for many of Nebraska's early cemeteries. It began with the death of Edward Ned Murphy, son of Edward E. and Ann Crowley Murphy. He was born January 20, 1847 near Toronto, Canada and died February 7, 1880 at the nearby Murphy family farm before the Parish Church and cemetery were established. A good friend, Fredrick Stohlmann, a Lutheran by faith, donated an acre to St. Patrick's Parish. James Murphy, brother of Edward bought an adjoining acre on which Edward Ned Murphy was buried as the first parishioner to be buried here.
]]>"Love is more like a light that you carry .... that is what love is to a woman - a lantern in her hand," says Abbie Deal the courageous heroine in Bess Streeter Aldrich's novel about the pioneers who with dreams and hard work forged this great State of Nebraska. This memorable work became a veritable text-book of life on the prairie, the development of Nebraska; it was translated into many foreign languages. THE RIM OF THE PRAIRIE, A LANTERN IN HER HAND, A WHITE BIRD FLYING, MISS BISHOP, SPRING CAME ON FOREVER and SONG OF YEARS are remembered among her many stories of family life. Bess Streeter Aldrich was born in Cedar Falls, Iowa, was educated at Iowa State Teachers College, taught school in Iowa and Utah, married Captain Charles S. Aldrich, settled in Elmwood and raised their four children. Mrs. Aldrich portrayed life with a cheerful realism which set her apart from most other writers of the time. Her immense popularity as an author was due not only to her ability to convey life on the prairie most vividly but also to the delicate touch by which she portrayed the warmth, feelings, and personality of her characters.
]]>From 1050 - 1400 the lower Platte and Missouri River valleys were home to prehistoric Indian farmers. These people lived in small villages and isolated farmsteads, cultivated corn and beans, and hunted game. The Indians built square-shaped houses made of logs and covered with earth, with long, earth-covered entryways. They were substantial structures containing a fireplace, beds, storage areas, and trash pits. Remains of these earthlodges are found in the park.
Here is the site of a prehistoric cemetery used by these early Indians. Archeological evidence indicates that the bodies were exposed to the elements until only bones remained. The bones were buried later in a communal graveyard. The practice of cemetery burial by these prehistoric people indicate their deep regard for the afterlife.
Because few such cemeteries are known, this site is an irreplaceable resource for the study of Nebraska's early inhabitants. It has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places and preserved by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the Nebraska State Historical Society.
]]>Flint nodules embedded within subsurface Pennsylvanian Formation limestone deposits in this vicinity were an important source of stone used for the manufacture of tools and weapons by Nebraska’s prehistoric inhabitants. Several intact quarry pits remain north of the village of Nehawka, while others southwest of the village have been destroyed by limestone mining. Flint deposits are also exposed in local creek banks, where mining by prehistoric peoples is also evident. Artifacts recovered from the quarry sites by archeologists date from about 500 to 5,000 years in age.
Major users of the flint from the quarries belonged to the Central Plains Tradition, prehistoric farmers who inhabited small earthlodge settlements in east central Nebraska and western Iowa from about 1000 to 1400 A.D. Flint similar to that in the Nehawka quarries has been discovered at dozens of Central Plains Tradition sites, as well as those occupied by other cultures. Its wide distribution indicates that Nehawka flint was an important article of trade among prehistoric peoples in the central Great Plains. The Nehawka Flint Quarries have been listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
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