Sandhills Heritage Museum

05/26/2026

Today we remembered the fallen.

05/21/2026

The Iris are blooming at the museum. These plants originated from an old homestead situated between Dunning and Halsey. They were relocated to the museum several years ago. They are thriving. Many of the homesteads had Iris and Lilacs.

05/06/2026

We had some great visitors today... The jr. high students from the Sandhills Public School here in Dunning stopped by. We had a lot of information to share with them. They were very polite and seemed to enjoy the tour of the museum and special interest items outside. The original Sandhills HS Panther really caught their attention!

04/29/2026

Work has started to get the museum inside and outside ready to open for the season. This week Sandhill School students with their teacher Mrs Smith came on Monday to move some items to the container in preparation for new displays inside. They then removed the tires and loaded them from the Machinery Display tank that is being developed outside.
Today the boys came again and pulled weeds inside the tank so dirt can be brought to fill it. A big thank you to Peyton Saner, Alex Martindale, Conner Sutton and Colton Leach!
Our area is blessed to have a younger generation who values where they live and volunteers to help where they can!

04/16/2026

A wonderful donation has been created and donated to our museum.
The Plack reads "Made by SHS Welding Class 2026 in Memory of Chad Carson SHS Class of 1988" The bench was on display during the Sandhills High School FFA Banquet held Tuesday evening, April 14th in the Dunning Community Hall. Chads parents, Dan and Shirley Carson attended the event. Pictured with them is their neighbor and FFA advisor Andrea Petersen-Smith.
The bench sits in front of the museum and will be appreciated by our many guests.
The museum board of directors are thrilled to receive such a thoughtful and lasting gift. Thanks goes to the SHS welding class.

04/06/2026

We have this postcard at the museum and we know Connie. She lives in the Sandhills.

🥩 You Won’t Forget This 1969 Nebraska Image. 🤠
Featuring Connie Blake as Miss Nebraska Stockgrower, this promotion captures a very specific moment in the state’s history — when agriculture, pageantry, and advertising all came together in one bold visual. Nebraska has produced plenty of memorable images over the years, and this is certainly one of them.

What’s your first reaction to this one?

04/04/2026

"Happy Easter" bale art by Karen Swisher at Halsey. We appreciate her creative talent as do the travelers following Hwy 2 east and west.

02/25/2026

Spring is in the air here in Dunning, Nebraska. Last week we had around 6" of snow and today a light rain for a time. The moisture is certainly welcome.
Did you know that Dunning is still an "old west town" with a hitching post? Actually, there are two hitching posts downtown on Jewett Ave. A couple of years ago there was a cowboy and a cowgirl that rode their cow ponies into town and stopped at the museum. We look forward to having others stopping by this spring, riding in on their horses!

01/07/2026

60 degrees in Dunning at noontime today. The indoor plants got a chance to be outside and enjoy direct sunlight and the warm weather.

12/25/2025

Nebraskans for Hereford Heritage, Inc. extends warmest wishes to all this Christmas season. Our Hereford Crossroads exhibit is displayed proudly in the museum at Dunning. Nebraska was and is THE BEEF STATE. Miss Stock Grower, Connie Blake from Bassett, Nebr. made headlines across the nation, with this photo sponsored by the Nebraska Stockgrowers Association back in 1968-69. Remember “Nebraska BEEF is best!”

12/14/2025

This will be a fun event in the historic Dunning Community Hall. A chance for the community to gather together during this holiday season!