The Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer is a museum located in

Grand Island, Nebraska Grand Island is a city in and the county seat of Hall County, Nebraska, Hall County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 53,131 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Nebraska, 4th most populous ...

dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Pioneers who settled the plains of central Nebraska in the late 19th century. It features a

living history Living history is an activity that incorporates historical tools, activities and dress into an interactive presentation that seeks to give observers and participants a sense of stepping back in time. Although it does not necessarily seek to ree ...

village called Railroad Town, designed to evoke an 1890s-era prairie village and made up of many original period structures moved to the museum. The museum is named after Leo Stuhr, a local farmer and politician whose family were among the area's pioneer settlers. He donated land, money, and numerous artifacts that served as the foundation of the museum. The building that houses the bulk of the museum's exhibits, the Stuhr Building, was designed by architect

Edward Durell Stone Edward Durell Stone (March 9, 1902 – August 6, 1978) was an American architect known for the formal, highly decorative buildings he designed in the 1950s and 1960s. His works include the Museum of Modern Art, in New York City; the Parliament H ...

and was built by Geer-Melkus Construction Co., Inc. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2015 after undergoing a $7.4 million restoration. Among the structures in Railroad Town is the house where actor

Henry Fonda Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor whose career spanned five decades on Broadway theatre, Broadway and in Hollywood. On screen and stage, he often portrayed characters who embodied an everyman image. Bo ...

was born in 1905. Movies filmed at the museum include ''Sarah, Plain and Tall'' (1991) and ''My Antonia'' (1995). The museum once had a working

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, Fuel oil, oil or, rarely, Wood fuel, wood) to heat ...

that traveled the

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...

Nebraska Midland Railroad on the museum grounds.

References

External links

Stuhr Museum Website

Gallery

Stuhr Museum 02.jpg, Pedestrian entrance Stuhr Museum 04.jpg Stuhr Museum 13 - Entrance signage.jpg, Entrance signage Stuhr Museum 12 - Gate house.jpg, Gate house Stuhr Museum 14 - Gus Fonner Memorial Rotunda.jpg, Gus Fonner Memorial Rotunda Stuhr Museum 15.jpg, Reynolds Center Stuhr Museum 16.jpg, Grounds Stuhr Museum 17 - Train.jpg, Train Grand Island, Nebraska Living museums in Nebraska Museums in Hall County, Nebraska Edward Durell Stone buildings Educational buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Nebraska National Register of Historic Places in Hall County, Nebraska Museums on the National Register of Historic Places {{Nebraska-museum-stub