District 70 Schoolhouse | Antelope County Museum, Neligh, Nebraska

District 70 Schoolhouse

Fully Renovated One-Room Schoolhouse

Experience a rural school that focuses on education during the 1940s through 1980s. A visit to the Antelope County District #70 one-room schoolhouse brings to life the important role rural schools played in the development of communities in Nebraska and our country. It helps us identify personal heritage and understand we are products of the past and active participants in events that influence lives. This makes history personal and significant.

A Treasure from the Past

Expect to step back in time as you enter the 100 plus year-old structure that is renovated as nearly as possible to its original style of 1915. The building stands majestic, boasting its original wainscoting and flooring. The one-room classroom is furnished with furniture, media equipment, books, globes, photos, and other memorabilia that reflects the time period of the 1940s, ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s - different from other vintage schools preserved in Nebraska.

Several different styles of students’ desks are displayed to initiate discussion on how education progressed through time - from vintage 1884 through the 1980s. Filmstrip projectors and old record players set at learning centers. Lunch boxes are displayed in the entryway. Bulletin boards and chalkboards display Nebraska and American history curriculum materials. Students can dangle their legs from a merry-go-round on the playground and observe an outhouse that sits nearby.

Unique to District #70 are the treasured original documents that detail the history from the beginning of the district formed in 1885 until 1949. The preserved documents are enclosed in a showcase and include board minutes, school attendance records, curriculum schedules, seating charts, teacher contracts, report cards, and financial records.

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Schedule a visit or field trip to the District #70 Schoolhouse

Email Gloria Christiansen

Email Ron Westlake, Museum Curator

Our Mission

Connecting Community & History

We hope the Antelope County District #70 Schoolhouse Project helps others discover and explore how one-room and two-room country schools operated; understand their role in the progress of population growth, and experience classroom activities then and now. Get ready to explore the past and develop a better appreciation of Nebraska history and our ancestors.

Coming Soon

Saving Oral History – Voices From the Past Project

Oral history interviews collected from students who have attended country schools or teachers who taught in one-room or two room rural schools will be available soon.