Larsen Tractor Test & Power Museum

In 1919 a Nebraska farmer, Wilmot Crozier of Osceola, who became a state legislator, recruited State Senator Charles Warner to co-sponsor the Nebraska Tractor Test Law to hold manufacturers accountable for their advertising. Crozier had been frustrated by the failure of his early tractor purchases to meet the claims made in their ads. With the passage of the law, the Nebraska Tractor Test Board of Engineers was formed in the University’s Agricultural Engineering Department, and the first tractor test laboratory in the world was built on East Campus as a temporary facility. No one knew how long the law would be in effect. The Waterloo Boy was the first tractor tested in 1920. Testing was suspended during WWII.

Lester Larsen arrived as the engineer-in-charge of the Nebraska Tractor Test Lab in 1946 and oversaw more than 800 tests. When he retired in 1975, Dr. Louis Leviticus took over, and the test lab moved to a newly built facility in 1980 to accommodate bigger tractors. In order to save the original building, and transform it into a museum, Dr. William Splinter, a former department head, had the American Society of Agricultural Engineers declare it one of their historic sites. He and Dr. Leviticus recruited others to form the Friends group to establish a volunteer organization and raise funds. The building was dedicated the Lester F. Larsen Tractor Test and Power Museum in 1998.
In addition to the history of tractor testing, Larsen Tractor Test Museum has a collection of historic tractors that includes the tractors that inspired the test law, the test car used by Larsen and Leviticus, a Waterloo Boy an original dynamometer and other test equipment, and a children’s area with a tractor cab where they can play. The William Splinter Memorial Gallery is in the original fuel room, and the Museum Store, operated by the Friends, is in the original dynamometer room.

Tour groups can visit outside open hours by arrangement; the Museum can also serve as a venue. Admission is by donation, and visitors are also offered a tour of the current Nebraska Tractor Test Lab facilities.

]]> https://www.nebraskamuseums.org/nebraska-150-museum/40-of-150-nebraska-museums-for-the-150th/ https://www.nebraskamuseums.org/nebraska-150-museum/40-of-150-nebraska-museums-for-the-150th/#comments Fri, 28 Apr 2017 08:00:48 +0000 http://www.nebraskamuseums.org/?p=1687 Organization:

Great Plains Welsh Heritage Project

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Santee Sioux Nation Museum and Headquarters

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Museum of Nebraska Art

See art representing the work of artist-explorers like George Catlin; early Nebraskans Robert Henri and J. Laurie Wallace; modern era artists Grant Reynard and John Falter, and artists of today.

Dedicated to telling the story of Nebraska through the art of Nebraska, we encourage you to travel through time, take in all of the beautiful sights, immerse yourself in history, and become a part of the art.

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Omaha Children’s Museum

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Florence Mill

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Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art

Sunday 1 pm – 4 pm Organization’s email:  artinfo@bonecreek.org Organization’s Phone: 402.367.4488 Link to website or Social Media: www.BoneCreek.org Special events or exhibits relating to Nebraska’s 150:

50 for Nebraska’s 150th

150 Artists, 150 Artworks, 150 Years of Nebraska in Miniature

May 3, 2017 – July 30, 2017

For the summer we plan to bring together 150 artists who have submitted an original work of agrarian art honoring the state of Nebraska. This major exhibition and sale celebrates Nebraska artists, their craft, and this great state.

Beginning in May, we anticipate an online feature of this exhibition to allow patrons to purchase the artworks in the show. A closing reception event will take place the weekend of July 29- 30, 2017. Description: Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art in David City, NE is the nation’s only exclusively agrarian art museum presenting art that connects people to the land. Exhibitions and related events such as artist talks, panel discussions, art workshops, poetry readings, humanities presentations, and musical performances  celebrate the heritage and current themes of rural and farm life. David City is the hometown of nationally recognized Regionalist artist Dale Nichols whose work is the heart of the permanent collection. ]]> https://www.nebraskamuseums.org/nebraska-150-museum/34-of-150-nebraska-museums-for-the-150th/ Fri, 14 Apr 2017 08:00:32 +0000 http://www.nebraskamuseums.org/?p=1598 Organization:

Fort Hartsuff State Historical Park Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

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Organization:

Fort Kearny State Historical Park and Recreation Area

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Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Ash Hollow State Historic Park