Plainsman Museum & Hamilton County Historical Society

The Plainsman Museum is a not-for-profit institution, which focuses on the time from 1860-1950, that collects, preserves, illustrates, and works to establish the History of Hamilton County, Nebraska, through education, exhibits, research, and maintenance of relevant archives and collections.

The Plainsman Museum is about the preservation and presentation of the stories of Hamilton County, NE. For nearly fifty years, the Plainsman Museum has been entrusted with the care of over 50,000 artifacts, as well as various written and photographic records detailing the lives of those who called this region home. Our exhibits are housed in five buildings on our 6-acre campus.

In our Main Building, we have our colorful rotunda murals and mosaics, a sod house, a log cabin, a historical Main Street boardwalk, our military exhibit, and much, much more! We also have a vast collection of antique farm implements in our Agricultural Museum, as well as the Lulow historical homestead. Our other buildings include Gen. Delevan & Lana Bates' Victorian-era house, a one-room schoolhouse, and a blacksmith shop. All of these exhibits allow for a detailed and immersive experience for our visitors, some of whom come from around the country and around the world!

We also have a wide range of records available for historical and genealogical research. From newspapers, to photographs, to plat maps, to telephone directories and more - there's a wealth of information available.

Testimonials

"A little gem packed full of history! Our family enjoyed our afternoon at the Plainsman, we left wanting to come back and take it all in again. So much to see." - Jessica Hillmann, 2024

"Such an awesome museum in Aurora! Enjoyed learning about the town, its history, and all the other small towns in the area. Such a well-put museum." - Dayna Guinn, 2024

"What a great little museum and very interactive! They had QR codes for certain areas that gave a description of what you were seeing. They also had a special area for military memorabilia. Very interesting and worth the visit." - Loey M., 2024