Sarpy County Museum

06/01/2026

Help Write the Next Chapter of Sarpy County's Story

The Sarpy County Historical Society is seeking dedicated individuals to help guide our organization during an exciting period of growth and opportunity.

As we work toward creating a new Sarpy County Heritage Center and expanding our programs and community impact, we are looking for board members who are willing to share their time, talents, and expertise to help move our mission forward.

The Sarpy County Historical Society is governed by a volunteer working board. Board members are active participants in planning, committee work, fundraising, community outreach, special projects, and organizational leadership. We are seeking individuals who are eager to contribute and collaborate as we build the future of our organization.

While a passion for preserving and sharing Sarpy County history is important, we are also looking for individuals with skills and experience in areas such as:

• Technology and website development
• Public relations and media relations
• Marketing and communications
• Social media management
• Fundraising and donor development
• Grant writing
• Finance and accounting
• Education and program development
• Construction, architecture, and project management
• Legal and business services
• Human resources and organizational development
• Event planning and community engagement

With plans underway for a new Sarpy County Heritage Center, this is an opportunity to help shape one of the most significant projects in our organization's history.

If you are interested in serving on the Board of Directors or would like to learn more about board service, please email a brief statement of interest to [email protected].

We look forward to hearing from individuals who are ready to help us write the next chapter of Sarpy County's story.

05/05/2026

From the Archives: this 1934 road map of Sarpy County shows the stalwarts of Papillion, Bellevue and Springfield, but you'll notice other small communities listed that ceased to exist a long time ago. And, check out the county judge letterhead that is on the back side of this map. This document was donated to the City of La Vista by Sandy Stiverson.

04/13/2026

Yesterday was one of those days that reminds us why this work matters.

With the help of an incredible group of volunteers, we carefully moved hundreds of volumes of historic newspapers – some more than a century old – into a secure, climate-controlled space where they will be preserved while we plan for their future home in a new heritage center.

These aren’t just newspapers. They are the stories, names and moments that make up our community’s history. Preserving these pages is crucial, and while moving them was no small task, it was what is best for their integrity.

A heartfelt THANK YOU to Papillion-LaVista High School National Honor Society students Danielle G., Collin H., Mason U., Lauren T., Aileen R., Jenne S., Spencer S., Carter W., Sam L., Lilan N., Tessa N., Sunam D.; Volunteers Kat Engle. Mike Wagner, Susan Kroenecke; Papillion Area Historical Society President Ashley Bohl; Board Members and spouses Cathy Talmadge, Wendy and Todd Walker, Deb and David Reinard.

Your time, strength and care made a huge difference today.
We also want to recognize the dedicated volunteers who quietly show up week after week to help with this enormous effort. You may not always be in the spotlight, but this work simply wouldn’t happen without you.

Again, our thanks to everyone who steps up and truly cares about preserving Sarpy County history.

04/08/2026

We heard your concerns last week about our deadline for requesting a return of items you loaned to the museum. We want to make sure that anyone who wants their items returned, has ample time to request that return. With that in mind, we have extended the deadline to request the return of loaned items to April 30, 2026. Call 402-292-1880 and leave a message or complete and submit the form found on our website at www.sarpycountymuseum.org.

04/08/2026

DEADLINE THIS FRIDAY: A reminder that if you have an item that was loaned to the Sarpy County Museum and would like to request its return, please contact the Sarpy County Historical Society no later than Friday, April 10. To submit a request, head to our website, SarpyCountyMuseum.org and fill out the form, or call 402-292-1880 and leave a message with your name, phone number, and a brief description of the item you loaned.

04/01/2026

A reminder that if you have an item that was loaned to the Sarpy County Museum and would like to request its return, please contact the Sarpy County Historical Society no later than Friday, April 10. To submit a request, head to our website, SarpyCountyMuseum.org and fill out the form, or call 402-292-1880 and leave a message with your name, phone number, and a brief description of the item you loaned.

02/25/2026

On behalf of the Sarpy County Historical Society Board of Directors, thank you to everyone who has reached out since we announced the permanent closure of the Sarpy County Museum facility in Bellevue.

We know this announcement caught a lot of people off guard and elicited a lot questions from our members, volunteers and generous donors.

And, quite frankly, you deserve more answers than we have been able to give you thus far.

The last three months have brought monumental change to not only our staffing structure, but also our Board of Directors. Our full-time director retired at the end of 2025 and around that same time we lost several long-time board members, including the board president. As our board and staff resources shrunk, so did our communication.

And for that, we are sorry.

We have added three new board members since November, and we are getting up to speed on the issues you have been asking about.

Here is what we can tell you about the capital campaign for the new museum facility: the historical society engaged with two different paid fundraising companies to assist with the capital campaign. The museum expanded its staff to ensure it had the necessary resources for operating the existing museum as well as planning for the new project.

It became apparent that even with a great location, the campaign donations were not flowing to the extent needed to make the vision a reality. At that point, the museum adjusted its focus to organizing the collection and moving things online.

Also during this time the museum’s director resigned and the other staff member picked up the slack, but the capital campaign suffered.

According to what board members can recollect, the Wimmers were notified that fundraising was going to pause so the museum could focus on getting the current collection sorted and cataloged. It was then that the Wimmers wanted/needed to house their collection elsewhere since the new facility wouldn’t be constructed as soon as originally hoped.

While there may be some disagreements on what transpired, this is what the Board of Directors has pieced together, and we will be moving on from here.

At this time we are not ready to provide any more detailed answers, because we are still putting all the pieces together, but please know this: we promise transparency, accountability and open communication with our members, volunteers and donors.

The history of Sarpy County is a rich, important story to tell and we look forward to working with the community to do just that in the near future.

Sarpy County Historical Society Board of Directors

02/09/2026

The Sarpy County Historical Society is entering an important transition as we plan for the future of preserving and sharing our county’s history.
Following professional evaluations, environmental and structural conditions were identified in the museum building. After careful review, the Board of Directors determined that continued operation in the current facility is not sustainable and that full remediation would not be a fiscally responsible long-term solution. As a result, the Sarpy County Museum building is now closed.
Protecting Sarpy County’s history remains our highest priority. Selected historically significant collections are being identified, stabilized, and cared for appropriately while plans move forward.
The Sarpy County Historical Society remains active and fully committed to its mission. The Board is actively pursuing plans for a new, sustainable, and future-ready heritage center that will allow our community’s history to be preserved and shared for generations to come.
We are committed to open communication throughout this transition and will continue to share updates as plans progress. Thank you for your continued interest and support of Sarpy County history.
For more information visit:

The Sarpy County Museum will be temporarily closed while we complete necessary repairs. We appreciate your patience and will share an update as soon as we’re ready to welcome you back!

12/06/2025

The Sarpy County Museum will be temporarily closed while we complete necessary repairs. We appreciate your patience and will share an update as soon as we’re ready to welcome you back!

12/05/2025

Our upcoming Holiday Open House has been postponed. Stay tuned for information on a new date and time.