Hastings Museum

The Hastings Museum of Natural and Cultural History is located in Hastings, Nebraska. It claims to be the largest municipal museum between Chicago and Denver. It is housed in a building funded by the Works Progress Administration and dedicated on June 15, 1939.[1] The museum exhibits include Kool-Aid, natural history dioramas, local history, weapons, life of pioneers on the Plains, rocks, minerals, fossils, antique vehicles, coins, and a planetarium.

This article is about the museum in Nebraska, USA. For the museum in Sussex, England, see Hastings Museum and Art Gallery.

Hastings Museum
Established1927
Location1330 N Burlington Ave.
Hastings, Nebraska
Coordinates40°36′00″N 98°23′29″W
TypeNatural history, local history
Websitehastingsmuseum.org

The Museum is under the jurisdiction of the City of Hastings and all employees are personnel of the Hastings government.[2] The museum is governed by a 7-member board, with each member serving a term of 5 years.[3] The board has the power to adopt rules and regulations as they deem appropriate and has exclusive control of expenditures of the Museum fund.[3] The board is responsible to the Mayor and City Council of Hastings, Nebraska.[4] It is also supported by a Foundation to increase awareness and support, which was incorporated in 1985.[5]

The Hastings Museum of Natural and Cultural History preserves, displays and interprets artifacts, provides research and shares knowledge pertaining to the natural and cultural histories of Hastings, Adams County and the Great Plains of Nebraska. Founded in 1926 by Albert Brooking, it became home to many exhibits including Brooking's personal collection of Native American artifacts, fossils, and mounted birds. Albert Brookings’s bird collection was one of the largest in the United States.[6] Other exhibits include natural history dioramas, an extensive armaments collection, and the history of Edwin Perkins, a local merchant famous for inventing Kool-Aid in 1927. The museum hosts an annual Native American festival.[7] The Hastings Public Library and Adams County Historical Society are both located at the museum.[8]

See also

References
  1. "Museum history". Hastings Museum of Natural and Cultural History. 2010-08-09. Retrieved 2011-02-22.
  2. "Employment". Hastings Museum of Natural and Cultural History. 2010-12-10. Retrieved 2011-02-22.
  3. "Board of Trustees". City of Hastings. 2010-11-16. Retrieved 2011-02-22.
  4. "Hastings City Code, Chapter 27, Section 101" (PDF). City of Hastings. p. 1. Retrieved 2011-02-22.
  5. "Hastings Museum Foundation". Hastings Museum of Natural and Cultural History. 2010-08-09. Retrieved 2011-02-22.
  6. "About Us". Hastings Museum of Natural and Cultural History. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
  7. Rollin, Kelli (November 11, 2016). "Hastings Native American Festival celebrates 10th year". The Grand Island Independent. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
  8. "Hastings Library unveils new location inside Hastings Museum". NBCNebraska. April 26, 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  9. Nebraska Prairie Museum
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