Heritage Center

The uniquely designed Heritage Center which has received several awards was dedicated on May 20, 2007. It brings the epic homestead story to life for visitors of all ages and demonstrates the true scope and importance of the Homestead Act of 1862. The vista from the main balcony provides visitors with a view of the tallgrass prairie much like early pioneers would have seen from the hilltop. Go here for information about tallgrass transplant at the Heritage Center.

Fall Hours and Programs

Daily 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Outdoor trails will be open from dawn to dusk. The Freeman School, a historic one room school house, will be available to view by visitor request.  The monument will be closed on Thanksgiving.

Homestead National Monument of America is a NO FEE park. Admission, parking and special events are all free of charge. 

Palmer-Epard Cabin has been relocated to the Heritage Center. Click here for a recent photograph of the cabin at its new location. Click here and here to read regional news articles about the cabin's story.

Watch the video of the Palmer-Epard Cabin being dismantled. Threes days of footage condensed into an eleven minute video.
[wmv file. 320 x 240 pixels. 27.1MB]

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2009 Photo Contest Winners Announced at Homestead
The winner for each category of the 2009 Homestead National Monument of America Photo Contest has been determined. Over 100 visitors to Homestead National Monument of America judged the entries and the following photos were selected:

Kids Division - Natalie Doering "Busy Blue Bug"

Adult Division - Toni Baete "Let There Be Light"

Senior Division - Roselyn Shaffer "Woods Finery"

Best in Show (tie): Toni Baete’s "Let There Be Light" and Roselyn Shaffer "Woods Finery".

Click here to read the press release.

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"Pow Wow Plains" Exhibition at Homestead National Monument of America
Homestead National Monument of America is pleased to announce that the photographic exhibit "Pow Wow Plains" opened on October 10, 2009 at the Education Center. This exhibition, featuring photographs by Nebraska photographer Tom Tidball, is on loan from the Great Plains Art Museum. The subject matter of the exhibition includes stunning images captured at the annual pow wows of the four American Indian tribes in Nebraska. more.

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Homestead National Monument of America will be featured on the Nebraska Quarter in 2015! Beginning in 2010, the United States Mint will issue quarter-dollar coins featuring designs depicting national parks and other national sites in accordance with the "America's Beautiful National Parks Quarter Dollar Coin Act of 2008".  Click here to view a list of the states and their sites.

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The Friends of Homestead National Monument of America are sponsoring an exciting new program for co-ed young adults 16-20 years old called Venture Crew #82. If you want to get involved, click here for more information.

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Free Access to Digitized Homesteading Records Available at Homestead
As part of an ongoing effort to make homesteading records more accessible, Homestead National Monument of America is pleased to announce the arrival of computer terminals at the monument. Historians and amateur genealogists will have free access to the records through footnote.com on these terminals. The records may also be accessed from your home computer by paying a monthly or annual fee to footnote.com. more.

*Homestead Records, Broken Bow, NE Land Office (partnered with University of Nebraska-Lincoln)

*To access Homestead Records, NE on footnote.com, click here (note: you must have a subscription to view premium records).

*For more records/genealogical information from the National Archives and Records Administration, visit their website.

*BLM Homestead Patent Project

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Attention facebook and twitter fans!

You can now find Homestead National Monument of America on facebook. Become our fan!

Homestead National Monument of America is also now on twitter! Follow us at twitter.com – our username is HomesteadNM, or see our feed at twitter.com/HomesteadNM. more.

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Now accepting applications for 2nd year of Artist-in-Residence Program at Homestead National Monument of America! Homestead National Monument of America welcomes artists to share their inspiration and talent with visitors this year, to live and work at the monument, and to interpret the park's cultural and natural resources through their unique creative vision. more.

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New Exhibits Installed more.

Interpretive Film Land of Dreams more.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Heirloom Corn Available for Harvest!

The public is invited to Homestead National Monument of America to harvest corn from the Heritage Farm Field. The corn variety is Hickory King, an open pollinated heirloom variety of white corn. It is known for its large kernels and small cobs. Last spring Homestead National Monument of America’s volunteers planted the field with corn using a check-row planter pulled by horses. The crop has grown, and it is now time to harvest the bounty from the field.more.

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November 23, 2009
Venture Scouts Wanted
Young adults from southeast Nebraska/northeast Kansas seeking new challenges may find just what they are looking for with Venture Crew 82. The Venture Crew 82 leaders will be hosting an informational open house on Monday, November 23 at 7 p.m. at Homestead National Monument of America’s Education Center and invite all interested young adults to get more information and participate. Venture Crew 82 is for young men and women ages 16 to 20 who are seeking leadership opportunities, high adventure, service, travel, and outdoor activities. more.

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November 24, 2009
Help Wanted with the Deer Census
On November 24, 2009 at 9:30 a.m., Homestead National Monument of America will be conducting a deer census. Please come and help the monument count deer, no experience is needed; just show up at the Education Center for a 9:30 a.m. orientation. Wear long pants and good walking shoes. The walkers will hike approximately 3/4 of a mile through the prairie. The survey will be completed by 12 p.m. more.

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November 29, 2009
German Men's Choir to Perform at Homestead National Monument of America
Die Singenden Wanderer (Singing Wanderers) will perform at the Homestead Education Center at Homestead National Monument of America’s Winter Festival Prairie Cultures event on Sunday, November 29, 2009, at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. more.

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November 27-29, 2009
Kids Activity Thanksgiving Weekend at Homestead
Parents and grandparents bring your children or grandchildren to Homestead National Monument of America to become Junior Rangers during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, Friday November 27 through Sunday, November 29. more.

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December 5-6, 2009
Homestead National Monument of America's Bookstore Hosts Open House
The public is invited to visit Homestead National Monument of America’s bookstore, operated by Eastern National, for our annual open house on Saturday and Sunday, December 5 and 6, 2009, from 9 am until 5 pm. The bookstore sells a wide variety of items associated with the themes of the monument, including homesteading, pioneer life, Native American culture, crafts and games, the National Park Service, and the natural world. Visitors are encouraged to shop for their holiday gifts at the bookstore, as each visitor will be able to get 10% off the price of one item. more.

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December 6, 2009
Holidays Here and There at Homestead
Nebraska Storyteller Richard Kimbrough will perform at the Homestead Education Center at Homestead National Monument of America’s Winter Festival of Prairie Cultures event on Sunday, December 6, 2009, at 2 p.m. Richard Kimbrough’s program Holidays Here and There compares how holidays are celebrated in different cultures. more.

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November 27- December 31, 2009
Homestead National Monument of America Celebrates Many Cultures with Festive Displays
See decorations from many countries showcasing winter ethnic traditions at both the Education and Heritage Centers at Homestead National Monument of America from November 27, 2009 through December 31, 2009. The Winter Festival of Prairie Cultures celebrates the winter traditions of people who lived on the Great Plains during the homesteading era. Decorated trees and tabletop displays feature ornaments and hand-made crafts that reflect the spirit of hope, humor and generosity which characterized settlers of the West. more.

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ABRAHAM LINCOLN BICENTENNIAL EVENTS

Lincoln Listening Sessions:
Listen to the letters, speeches and other excerpts from our nation's 16th President as read by the current Nebraska congressional delegation. more.

What was President Abraham Lincoln's greatest legacy?  more.

Click on the link below for more information about Abraham Lincoln and Bicentennial events throughout the National Park Service.
http://www.nps.gov/pub_aff/lincoln200/index.html

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Special events are held throughout the year. They are a great way to learn about our history.

Are You a Homesteader or Descendant?

The Homestead Act of 1862 transferred more than 270 million acres of land from Federal to private ownership. We are seeking your help in locating people who filed claims under the Homestead Act. The goal is to locate and record the experiences of remaining homesteaders before the opportunity is lost. Oral histories will be taken under direction of the University of Nebraska and Grand Valley State University, Michigan. Homestead National Monument of America is developing a database of homesteaders and descendants. If you are a homesteader or a descendant, please help us by sending your name, address, telephone number and e-mail to:

Friends of Homestead
Homestead National Monument of America
8523 W. State Highway 4
Beatrice NE 68310

To view the Friends of Homestead National Monument of America's website, click here.

Homestead Congress is a Friends of Homestead National Monument of America program dedicated to communicating with those persons interested in learning more about the mission of Homestead National Monument of America and the effect it had on the growth of this nation. To meet its communication goal, Homestead Congress maintains a blog site.

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