Virtual Tour
Tours
Make a visit to the museum part of your school curriculum. The Washington County Museum’s school program appeals to students studying local, pioneer and or Nebraska History, particularly appropriate for 4th – 5th grade. The museum has three galleries all related to the history of Nebraska from the pre-historic times to the twentieth century. We will provide your classroom with a custom tour that includes hands-on experiences such as:
- Digging for pre-historic specimens in our archeological box
- Grinding coffee, making butter and washing clothes with a washboard
- Pretend to be a 1920’s banker
- Learning about the Otoe language through computer interactive
- Learning to write with quill and ink
- Scavenger hunt for historical facts in our Gallery of Pioneer History
*When setting up a tour, please allot at least an hour and a half for hands on activities.
The museum is located next to West Market Square Park. It is an excellent place to have a sack lunch or picnic.
You may want to consider splitting the day with a visit to Fort Atkinson State Historical Park, just east of Fort Calhoun and the museum. Many large groups split their student numbers in half, with one half touring the museum while the other half tours the fort, and then switching the groups. Smaller groups may visit the museum, then move 3 blocks east to tour the fort. You may contact Fort Atkinson at 402-468-5611 for information on scheduling. Please let us know if you will be doing tours at both locations.
There is a fee of $1.00 per child to cover costs for this wonderful experience at the museum. Fort Atkinson also has a $1 fee per student to tour their visitor center. If your school has financial limitations, we have scholarships available that may cover the admission cost.
We also offer tours for Scouts working on merit badges.
If you prefer a virtual tour, we can offer your class a curator-led experience. Together, students may walk through the museum virtually with our curator, stopping to discuss artifacts, view them and “touch” them in 360 degrees. Of course, our self-led virtual tour is available at any time.
Please call Faith Norwood, Curator at 402- 468- 5740 or email: curator@wcnemuseum.org to arrange tours or discuss your needs.
Traveling Trunk
Lewis and Clark Traveling Trunk
Includes:
- Teachers’ guide
- Children’s handouts and activity pages along with hands on items
- furs
- trade beads
- compass
- flag
- journal and stamps
Teachers may reserve this trunk at no charge for up to 2 weeks.
Traveling Exhibits
Barns of Nebraska’s Ethnic Communities
Barns of Nebraska’s Ethnic Communities is a traveling exhibit that pays tribute to the history of barns in Nebraska’s ethnic communities. The exhibit was funded in part by the Nebraska Humanities Council and accompanied the Smithsonian Institution’s Barn Again! Celebrating an American Icon exhibit as it spent more than a year traveling across the state of Nebraska.
The exhibit includes photographs with text in a table-top format, brochures and a 1:48 scale model cut-away of a working barn that is a replica of a barn built in Washington County in the mid-1920s.
The exhibit is available at no charge (with the possible exception of shipping costs) to schools, libraries, museums and private organizations. For more information, please contact Faith Norwood, Curator at 402-468-5740 or email: curator@wcnemuseum.org to reserve.
Educators Contact Us Here
If you are an educator and would like to set up a field trip or tour of the museum, please fill out the form below and send us your information. If you are not an educator, please visit our Contact Page (link to contact) to set up a tour or contact us for any other inquiries.