The Sarpy County Museum is located at 2402 Clay St in

Bellevue, Nebraska Bellevue ( French for "beautiful view"; previously named Belleview) is a suburban city in Sarpy County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area, and had a population of 64,176 as of the 2020 Census, m ...

. The museum holds a collection of artifacts and historical resources, covering the history of

Sarpy County, Nebraska Sarpy County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 190,604, making it the third-most populous county in Nebraska. Its county seat is Papillion. Sarpy County is part of the Oma ...

, including Bellevue, Gretna,

La Vista La Vista may refer to: * La Vista, Nebraska, a city in Nebraska * La Vista (Spotsylvania County, Virginia), an historic house in Spotsylvania County, Virginia * La Vista Correctional Facility, prison in Pueblo County, Colorado * La Vista High Sc ...

, Papillion, and

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

. The museum includes the history of fur traders and missionaries, period rooms, early agricultural pursuits, and a scale model of Fort Crook, which later became

Offutt Air Force Base Offutt Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force base south of Omaha, adjacent to Bellevue in Sarpy County, Nebraska. It is the headquarters of the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), the 557th Weather Wing, and the 55th Wing (55 WG) of the Air ...

History of the Museum

The Sarpy County Historical Society was formed during the Great Depression. Later, during the 1960s, a “storefront museum” was formed, having a few shelves of artifacts on display. During the late 1970s, the museum’s current building was built. The museum chronicles the history of the county from its origins as a fur trading post to the present day. Sarpy County Museum

Collections

The

period room A period room is a display that represents the interior design and decorative art of a particular historical social setting usually in a museum. Though it may incorporate elements of an individual real room that once existed somewhere, it is usuall ...

exhibits depict the lifestyles of the 19th and 20th centuries. The scale model of Fort Crook displays what the fort looked like prior to creation of the

Glenn L. Martin Bomber Plant The Glenn L. Martin Bomber Plant (also known as Air Force Plant 1) was an aircraft manufacturing facility in the central United States, located at Offutt Field, Nebraska, south of Omaha. Adjacent to suburban Bellevue in Sarpy County, the plant w ...

and the

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...

. The Fort later became

. The museum has many historically and culturally significant documents from Sarpy County. Its collections include church histories, newspapers, and photographs. Related to genealogy it holds school, naturalization, and marriage records. Also at the museum are early correspondence between County officials and leading citizens. Tours of historical sites of Sarpy County are available hosted by the museum. There are four sites available, including the Omaha and Southern Railroad Depot, the Old Presbyterian Church, the Old Log Cabin, the

Moses Merrill Mission The Moses Merrill Mission, also known as the Oto Mission, was located about eight miles west of Bellevue, Nebraska. It was built and occupied by Moses and Eliza Wilcox Merrill, the first missionaries resident in Nebraska. The first building wa ...

and the Fontenelle Bank. The first site is an 1869 Omaha and Southern Railroad Depot, which is located on the museum’s property. The Old Presbyterian Church built in 1856, still in service today, featuring stained glass windows and 1800s oak pews. This is the oldest church in Bellevue still intact. The Log Cabin built in the 1830s hosted the first twins born in Nebraska Territory. The Fontenelle Bank is the first and the oldest commercial public building in Nebraska history, still includes the original walk-in vault, an 1870 Accountant’s Desk, and more."Lewis and Clark Trail - Sarpy County Museum" http://lewisandclarktrail.com/section1/necities/Omaha/sarpymuseum.htm. Retrieved 26 October 2013

References

External links

* http://www.sarpycountymuseum.org {{coord, 41.1341, -95.9060, type:landmark_region:US-NE, display=title Museums in Sarpy County, Nebraska History museums in Nebraska Buildings and structures in Bellevue, Nebraska