The Senator George William Norris House is a

historic house museum A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a ...

at 706 Norris Avenue in

McCook, Nebraska McCook is a city in and the county seat of Red Willow County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,446 at the 2020 census. History McCook was platted in 1882 when the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad was extended to that point. I ...

. It was purchased in 1899 by

George W. Norris George William Norris (July 11, 1861September 2, 1944) was an American politician from the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. He served five terms in the United States House of Representatives as a Republican, from 1903 until 1913 ...

(1862–1944), a Nebraska politician who championed the

New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...

of the 1930s and the Rural Electrification Act. It was donated to the

Nebraska State Historical Society History Nebraska, formerly the Nebraska State Historical Society is a Nebraska state agency, founded in 1878 to "encourage historical research and inquiry, spread historical information ... and to embrace alike aboriginal and modern history." I ...

in 1968 by his wife, and was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1967.

Description and history

The Norris House stands north of downtown McCook, on the west side of Norris Avenue opposite Norris Park, a small public park. The house is stories in height, built out of wood with a stucco exterior and covered by a gabled roof. It is basically rectangular in shape, with shallow two-story gabled projects on either side, and a single-story gabled sunroom on the south side. Gable ends are finished in stucco like the main body, but also have applied Stick style decorative elements. The front entrance is in the rightmost of three bays, in a round-arch opening. The interior is furnished and finished mainly with items belonging to the Norris family. The house was purchased in 1899 by Norris, who was then early in his political career. He served five terms in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

and five as a

United States senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

, and was an advocate of progressive Republican policies. He supported creation of the

Tennessee Valley Authority The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federally owned electric utility corporation in the United States. TVA's service area covers all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small areas of Georgia, North Carolina ...

( whose first dam bears his name), and was a major proponent of the Rural Electrification Act, which helped bring electricity to large parts of the country. Norris died in 1944; his wife gave the property to the state historical society in 1968.

References

External links

Senator George Norris State Historic Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norris, George W., House Biographical museums in Nebraska Historic house museums in Nebraska Houses completed in 1899 Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Nebraska Museums in Red Willow County, Nebraska National Historic Landmarks in Nebraska Houses in Red Willow County, Nebraska National Register of Historic Places in Red Willow County, Nebraska History Nebraska

Description and history

See also

References

External links