Category: Postcards From Another Millennium

This is a very typical example of a slightly modernized one room schoolhouse. In it, children of any school age would attend classes while a single teacher provided lessons for each of the different ability levels. Older children often helped the younger ones with their lessons. In cold weather the best seats were closest to the wood stove in the center of the room, a convenience that indicates a later upgrade.

The description states:
ONE-ROOM COUNTRY SCHOOL
With desks, books and records intact. Even the dinner pails are lined up in the hall. This is one of 20 buildings around the circle at Harold Warp’s Pioneer Village, Minden, Nebraska, housing 20,000 items, showing America’s progress since 1830. On U. S. 6 and just 14 miles south of U. S. 30 near Kearney, Nebraska.
–More recently, the furniture would more closely resemble the desks just in front of the stove, which gave students a place to put their books and work on their assignments. The benches nearest the window show how a writing surface was attached to the back of the bench to provide workspace for the children in the next row.
This card dates from the 1950s.

Shown is the interior of the church shown a few days ago from the outside. Of note is the black wall panel with numbers to the right of the altar. This was a song board, and the numbers indicated the number of the songs to be sung during the service, according to the numbering system in the hymnal provided to the churchgoers.

The description states:
THE OLD LUTHERAN CHURCH
Interior of the first church built in Minden, Nebr., where the homesteaders and pioneers worshipped until 1950, when it was purchased by Harold Warp and moved to its present location.
–The sign in the foreground is not authentic, just a reminder to visitors to respect the function of the building as a church. This card dates from the 1950s.

Shown here are examples of early barber chairs and other acoutrements of barber shops on the frontier.

The description states:
BARBER SHOP OF BYGONE DAYS
On the back door of the old Barrber Shop is a sign that reads, “Shave 10¢ — Haircut Two Bits — Bath 25¢.” The chair in the foreground is an old rorckter type of a century ago. The reed and white striped pole indicated that the barber pulled teeth and bled people as well as cut their hair. The more modern chair in the rear is a hydraulic model, first made in 1890. This is one of the 14 Craft Shops in the Pioneer Village.
–This card is contemporaneous with others in this series that date from the 1950s.

This kitchen shows the most primitive, hand made items that would have appeared in a frontier kitchen in the 1830s.

The description states:
ONE OF FIVE PERIOD KITCHENS
This is the kitchen of 1830 in the Pioneer Village. Displays of kitchens of 1860, 1890, 1910 and 1930 where each item was replaced by an improved model, as man’s ingenuity and ambitions progressed with time.
— This card is contemporaneous with others that date from the 1950s.

Another view of the extraordinary range and number of items in the museum exhibits, this is a turn of the 20th century scene, although a bit more cluttered than was likely for pioneers on the frontier.

The description states:
THE KITCHEN OF 1910
The stove, with reservoir and warming closet, has by now replace the crude fireplace of 1830, the sewing machine has replaced the spinning wheel, the graphophone has replaced the zither, and the Aladdin Lamp has replaced the crude grease lamp of less than a century before. Man’s progress from 1830 to 1950 is truly amazing when we see how our forefathers lived.
— And foremothers, judging by the mannequin chosen to occupy the room. The description directly indicates this card dates from the 1950s.

Here is an excellent example of the various kinds and amounts of artifacts collected for the Pioneer Village exhibits. This is the kitchen area of the small building located within the palisade walls of the fort.

The description states:
INTERIOR VIEW OF ELM CREEK INDIAN FORT KITCHEN
Built in 1869
Moved from Cowles, Nebraska
30,000 items in 22 buildings on 3 city blocks, showing man’s progress over the past 120 years. 132 Miles west of Lincoln, Nebr., on U. S. 6.
— Since this museum states the starting dates for the earliest exhibits is 1830, the 120 years past mentioned above places this postcard in the 1950s.

This building was originally in another town and was moved here for exhibition. By Indian Fort it means a fort for defense against Indians, not a fort by Indians.

The description states:
THE ELM CREEK INDIAN FORT
Built in 1869
Moved from Cowles, Nebraska
30,000 items in 22 buildings on 3 city blocks, showing man’s progress over the post 120 years. 132 Miles west of Lincoln, Nebr., on U. S. 6.
— Since this museum states the starting dates for the earliest exhibits is 1830, the 120 years past mentioned above places this postcard in the 1950s.

This is a well preserved steam-powered fire engine, used to provide pressurized water when fighting fires. Also of note are the large gauge model railroad cars displayed on tracks around the walls.

The description states:
The Steam Pumper
This 1880 horse-drawn Steam Fire Engine, attached to a 1909 gasoline powered front wheel drive, is just one of the many early day automobiles, tractors and trucks to be seen in the Pioneer Village.
This card dates from the 1950s.

A typical church design, seen all across the United States for many decades as pioneers moved west and took their faith along with them. The family shown are visitors, not churchgoers in this image. In the era this picture was taken women wore hats and gloves to church and boys would be expected to dress in a suit and tie like the grown men.

The description states:
THE OLD LUTHERAN CHURCH
The first church built in Minden, moved from its original site to the Pioneer Village in 1951, when a new stone and brick edifice was constructed.
— This card dates from the 1950s.

The image here shows a large assortment of carriages and very early automobiles, many of which were nearly indistinguishable from the carriages in their first incarnation.

The description states:
EVOLUTION OF TRANSPORTATION
That starts with 1830 Ox-Cart and ends with modern jet airplane. Each vehicle stands in its respective place as time progressed.This is true of everything at Harold Warp’s huge Pioneer Village in Minden, Nebraska. Here are 20,000 historic items in 20 buildings, located 130 miles west of Lincoln, Nebr. on U. S. 6 and U. S. 34, or just 14 miles south of U. S. 30 near Kearney.
— This card dates from the 1950s.