Nishna Heritage Museum of Oakland, Iowa

Nishna Heritage Museum of Oakland, Iowa An organized collection to keep the history of Oakland and the surrounding area alive. Tours

The Riverside softball team did some light cleaning at the museum before their big game tonight.  Some of them even trie...
05/28/2026

The Riverside softball team did some light cleaning at the museum before their big game tonight. Some of them even tried out the jail which has proved to be a big favorite with young and old. Good luck Bulldogs. Thanks for all your help.

05/22/2026

Layna Bentley will be at the museum from 12:30-3:00 on Saturday. Drop in to see her and take a stroll around Nishna Heritage.

Workshops at the museum begin Friday, June 5.  There is still room for a few more children.  If you want to attend, leav...
05/20/2026

Workshops at the museum begin Friday, June 5. There is still room for a few more children. If you want to attend, leave a message on our answering machine 712-482-6802.

The first workshop will emphasize Native American influence on Pottawattamie County. One artifact is a grinding stone left behind when the tribe moved on to Kansas. A farmer found it in a field near where the Riverside High School stands. The 3 Sisters sculpture is a nod to those first early farmers.

The past 6 weeks we’ve had 203 visitors at the museum.  The last group to sign in was the kindergarten class.  The perso...
05/17/2026

The past 6 weeks we’ve had 203 visitors at the museum. The last group to sign in was the kindergarten class. The person who came the farthest away (Camp Lejuene, North Carolina)was a Marine visiting his grandparents in Oakland.

More kindergarten pictures.
05/15/2026

More kindergarten pictures.

Riverside Kindergarten toured the museum this afternoon. They asked good questions and pretty much decided the jail cell...
05/15/2026

Riverside Kindergarten toured the museum this afternoon. They asked good questions and pretty much decided the jail cell was their favorite part of the visit.

Layna Bentley gave a wonderful presentation about buttons.  Check out your button jar.  Some may be worth a fortune,
05/15/2026

Layna Bentley gave a wonderful presentation about buttons. Check out your button jar. Some may be worth a fortune,

The Nishna Heritage is only possible with volunteers keeping it going.  Rebecca McClain is our newest addition.  She’s w...
05/05/2026

The Nishna Heritage is only possible with volunteers keeping it going. Rebecca McClain is our newest addition. She’s willing to help wherever needed. Last Sunday it was working in the garden. On Tuesday Jan Kenkel and Gayle Strickland did a tour for the 4th grade Riverside classes. We need help with light cleaning and just keeping the doors open this summer. Contact Gayle or Cyndy Haines if you’d like to help.

Button jars bring back memories and provide a link to our heritage.  It represents a time of thrift when women reused it...
05/03/2026

Button jars bring back memories and provide a link to our heritage. It represents a time of thrift when women reused items from worn out clothing. Children were often given a jar of buttons to use in imaginative play. A woman from Silver City sewed her collection on clothing worn by mannequins which her husband donated to the museum after her death. On May 15 at 10:00 Layna Bentley is presenting a program on buttons. You are invited to attend. We welcome free will donations.

Brianne Brandes Duty is getting an Easter  bunny from Hardware Hanks, her grandfather’s store.
04/30/2026

Brianne Brandes Duty is getting an Easter bunny from Hardware Hanks, her grandfather’s store.

Address

Oakland, IA
51560

Opening Hours

Friday 9am - 11am
Sunday 1pm - 3pm

Telephone

(712) 482-6802

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