welcome to the website of the
table rock historical society!
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table rock, nebraska
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In the train museum. Photo by Julie Vrtiska Stake, March 2022
At the Pleasant Valley Country School - also known as the Lionberger Country School, in old School District 32 --in February 2020, great grandchildren of Rudy, Jr., & Dorothy Hunzeker Fritch gather!
Brynnlee,Kaisley and Garrhette Fritch children of Steven and Jenny Fritch
Trace, Breena and Reid Haug. children of Dale and Kelly Haug. Shared by Julie Fritch. Photo 8549.
Standing on the same piece of concrete as the kids above: In back are their great grand parents -- then Dorothy Hunzeker and her classmate Rudy Fritch, Jr. In front are Richard Blecha, Sylvia Steiner, George Tomek, JoAnn Kalina, and Milan Tomek.
Landry Lionberger at District 32, Pleasant Valley Country School -- also known as the Lionberger School! Landry and her family came from Texas in September 2019 especially to see the school and the old family land in the area. Landry is descended from Lionbergers who left Pawnee County in 1899.
Kids from Little Kingdom Day School in Lincoln, visiting backstage at the Opera House in 2019. Yes, that's a trap door under the stage! Come take a tour and hear some stories about it!
Russell Workman, Class of 1959, with the basketball trophy from 1959. "I've been wanting to see this for 60 years!" he says. He brought two grandsons to the museum to help look for it amongst many trophies in storage, and they found it!
Table Rock Bob Blecha plays an impromptu concert at the front door of the Argus museum, Memorial Day weekend 2019
Colby & Paislee Farwell visit Santa in 2019
An April 2019 visit from a group of Optimists from all over southeast Nebraska. They toured Table Rock's hidden treasurers, like the museum at the old St. John's Catholic Church.
The Fankhauser brothers farm some of the land in the Dry Branch area claimed by Ulrich Lionberger in 1854 and still owned by the family. Headed home after a trip to check out the corn. Photo by Sharla Sitzman in Fall 2017.
Finley Hann, demonstrating the permanent wave machine. She is the granddaughter of Kay Wenzbauer Edelman.
Kalin Wallpe, with father Ed, mother Glenda, and brother Miles, examine a bible donated by Esther Gottula, from the bible collection at the museum at the old St. John's Catholic Church. Photo 6877, January 2019.
Ethan Edwards on Table Rock's Quarantine Cruise in May 2020, riding in his Aunt Sherry's Model A. They are passing a place built by M. H. Marble as his home in the early 1900s.
Shirley Cacek Aksamit of Bruning, NE found her Great Grandpa Albert Wopata, Sr., in the museum! He is #7, and organized the first Bohemian band in Table Rock in 1885. Yep, that's the band, although a few years after it was organized. And her uncle Joe Stanek is there in the picture,too!
Chuck Rabstejnek brings two precious family instruments for our exhibition of Bohemian Musicians of the Nemaha River Valley -- the baritone of his grandpa Charlie Rabstejnek and the cornet of his uncle Emil Rabstejnek. Charlie is in the pictures at right and Emil in the pictures at far right.
Bob Stepanek of Dubois, in front of Pud Kalina's bass horn. Bob, too, is a bass horn player, and not just any one. He has been inducted into the Sokol Omaha Polka Hall of Fame, and is a beloved fixture in the area Czech music field. He still plays, and he is, of course, really really good!
Brothers Lavon "Larry" Blecha & Table Rock Bob Blecha, playing at the grand opening of the Bohemian Music exhibition, May 25, 2019. Photo 7804.
Photo 6997, June 2, 2019
Tatiana Silva of New York at Maple Grove Country School in March 2019. Photo 6991. The art work on the chalk board was originally by Ardyce Freeman, and was renewed by her some of her great grandchildren a couple of years ago.
2018 ghost story tours of abandoned spaces by the Table Rock Community Club
Parker Norris points to her grandfather's great grandfather in this Norris family picture. Her grandpa Bob Norris is the grandson of C. I. Norris, here in the picture with his parents Chauncey & Fannie Norris and his many siblings. Parker was in Table Rock for a visit on Memorial Day 2018. Photo 6459.
Tucker Everett visited the museum on Living History Day 2018 and found his grandpa Burgert in the museum -- or at least a picture of him!
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Sisters Ginny Kent Christianson & Rene Kent Schroder look over albums at the Museum of St. John's Church, in September 2018. Their parents were married there, and they attended church there as children. Photo 6845.
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Take a tour of our special fire truck in this video. Listen to its engine, see it running.
A successful day of painting at the Argus, 2016 remodeling. Crystal & Hayden Binder, Kelly Freeman Vogt, Roger Vondrasek, & a mighty friend of Roger's
Jackie Joyce helping get ready for the opening of the Bohemian music exhibit. Photo 7808, May 2019.
Carol Jean ("CJ") Herink Turnbull went to Maple Grove Country School from 1st through 6th grade, at which time it closed (1952). In the gallery at the back of the country school museum, she found a picture of herself.
Lance Binder and tour guide Sharla Sitzman in the farm implement and machinery quonset, October 2017
Lance Binder in the catbird seat on a.....binder. At the Farm Implement Quonset, October 2017.
Kim Vrtiska, organizer of Table Rock's Living History Day, holds a quilt from t-shirts from many of the Living History Days of the past. 2018 was the 20th Living History Day. Kim has had a new t-shirt designed each year. Sandy Sitzman made the quilt for him in appreciation of all that he has done to preserve Table Rock history.
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A local farm family takes a bus man's tour of the farm machinery quonset, packed with machinery & implements going back to plows used by the earliest pioneers to break native prairie sod. Steve Binder offers a spontaneous tour of an old combine.
At the Village of Table Rock's water fountain pagoda, Janelle Summerholder with her daughter Elizabeth & Elizabeth's husband Bob Bania testing the new fountain. The 2017 restoration of the pagoda was largely underwritten by the Historical Society, which used monies from a bequest from the Herman Bachenberg Trust. The water fountain was installed by the Historical Society in July 2018 with monies received from a bequest from Verlyn Beethe.
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Karen McClintock & Shirley Espe at the Opera House kitchen in May 2019. Photo by Suzanne Sitzman Ellis.
August 21, 2017, total eclipse of the sun, about a mile off the center line, photo shared by Scott and Sharon Howells of Bennington, NE.
The first time a total eclipse has been seen from this spot in the course of recorded history.
Jay & Rhonda Gilbert Halvorsen applying a new sign for the Argus Museum & Picture Gallery, donated by Rhonda. 2017.
The Fritch family spent part of their 2017 reunion time seeing the local sights, including St. John's Church.
Visiting in March 2018, Alexandria Beals of Gladstone, Missouri is standing at the rock telling about 1897 with the Veterans Museum in background right, and the cabin built by Robert Turner in 1854 on the right. Alerxandra is 10, younger than the Veterans Museum and over 150 years younger than the cabin.
The Country School Association of America came to town in June 2018. Their annual conference is in a different state each year, and this year was in Nebraska. They came to Table Rock and headed for Pleasant Valley Country School (the "Rock School") then into town to see Maple Grove Country School. And the Historical Society treated them to ice cream at the old drug store.
In September 2018, Sharylin Vrtiska & husb Vern Knock brought many donations, and many pictures to scan! Photo 6846
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Ken Ahntholz and a dictionary he donated
Stan Sitzman finds a stash of photo albums at the Veterans Museum. That handle coming out is from the old "chemical" fire engine that famously did not work at the outbreak of the 1920 fire that burned down much of the south side business district. 2017.
George Binder stopped by Harry Griebling Photographer to close a June 2018 visit to the museums & talk about the old days. Harry enjoys retouching and reproducing vintage prints, including from the Historical Society collection. Photo 6414
Museum nut Hayley Sander & mom Kelli about to discover one of Table Rock's many hidden treasurers: the Opera House.
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Photo 6878--The Wallpe family of Indiana visited on a COOOOLD winter's day so that daughter Kalin could look for the Gottula bible at St. John's. Here are mom and dad -- Ed and Glenda -- with Kalin, a genealogist, and Miles.
At Living History Day 2018, Howard Blecha explains to some fifth graders how the flag off of a veteran's coffin is folded and then presented to the family, by demonstrating a presentation to one of the kids.
Sandi Knippelmeyer and her dad Wayne Knippelmeyer visit at the Museum of St. John's Catholic Church in October 2017. They are descendants of the Reuter family, some of the very earliest members at the church. The Reuter family was probably represented continuously from at least 1877 until the church was closed in 1968.
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Lizbeth Kalina Dmytryk pauses after contemplating the burial flag of Arlan Kalina, who died in World War II.
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The town 1924 REO Speedwagon Fire Truck at the Table Rock Fair's car show, September 2017
Ardis Gottula Hunzeker, Class of 1945, in front of the desk of Dr. Ed McCrea. She was one of the 302 babies that he delivered.
Dolores Sochor, almost 40 years as pianist at the Methodist Church. Poor health made her step down. "I don't want to stop," she said at the time, "I wish I could keep playing."
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Kyle Wopata sits in great grandma Barbara Beranek's chairs, which are in the Robert & Mary Turner Cabin (2017)
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Bernice Marfice Kopetzky at the desk in the Maple Grove Country School Museum, which she attended from 1st to 8th grades. Photo 6467 by Susan Fineman, CSAA.
Landry Lionberger came from Texas to see the family's old homestead land. Her fervent wish was to walk in a cornfield. She had never been able to do that. She was able to fulfill her dream in a cornfield on the old Ulrich Lionberger place, which has been in a branch of the Lionberg family since 1854. Landry's ancestors left the area in 1899, but Charles Davis's branch stayed; the land has been in Charles's family since 1854.
Richard Sitzman and granddaughter Violet Boshart
Theresa Dunekacke chose the Argus Museum as the setting for a family picture with her children and grandchildren. Photographer Leigh Edwards makes the most of the lovely surroundings. The light glowing on the staircase in natural light from a window above. October 2017.
At Living History Day 2018, Chris Salberg explains how newspapers were made and gives kids a chance to turn the wheel of the big main press -- it ain't so easy!
Kalin Wallpe of Cordsville, Indiana holds a book she found at the museum with information about her Gottula ancestors. It was donated by a distant cousin, Russ Hunzeker, descended from Esther and Albert Gottula, whose 1922 wedding picture is on the book's cover. Kalin is descended from Albert's sister Mary Gottula Steiner, and the book has pictures of Albert and Mary's parents and grandparents, common ancestors of Russ and Kalin. Photo 6879, January 2019.
Fran Herrick helps frame pictures, 2017
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Dave Sochor, donating the tobaggon made by his dad Joe Sochor as a kid. Joe died at age 89 in 2016.
Luella Hinrichsen, hard at work trying to decipher a tombstone for a Findagrave.com memorial.
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5th Graders at the Stehlik Czech Museum on Living History Day 2018
Heider Koster at Maple Grove Country School Museum.
2015, Merilee Stehlik Nord & Sharla Sitzman at the Argus, by Janet Rosencroft.
An amazing book, on display on special occasions, the Stepan bible. Our next oldest bible goes back "only" to 1739.
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Robert Sitzman takes on painting at the Argus Museum. He was a blazing hot August day in 2015.
Al McClintock, descendant of a first-family
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Tiffany Harpole, husband, and daughter -- decendants of long-time Argus editor Frank Taylor, outside the Argus Museum in 2016
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Siblings Russ Hunzeker & Judy Siefert about to donate their dad's WW2 Navy uniform. If they can get it on the mannequin.
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Paul Tosko of Adams and Kelly Adams of Lincoln, looking at the Fencl exhibition, Buddies & Wheels, 2017
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Bruce Kubick donates a plaque for the Maple Grove Country School museum; his mother Dorothy Plihal Kubick was one of many young women who taught there.
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At Joe Sochor's funeral in 2016, classmates from the Class of 1945, Eddie Hanna, Art Alderman, Willard Binder
Bonnie Bowen Venhaus and her daughter went back another generation when they found the stone of Eleanor & John Michael Aylor at the Historic Table Rock Cemetery.
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Cole Hunzeker & Paige Freeman Rogge at the 2016 Christmas Candle Lighting Ceremony, in remembrance of loved ones.
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Museum of St. John's Church, 2015, beginning of Candle Lighting Ceremony.
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Roger Vondrasek and Kelly Freeman Vogt painting in the Argus museum, 2016
At the Historical Society banquet 2015, Joe & Dolores Sochor, charter members.
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At the Historical Society banquet, 2015, Joy Robison & Leona Pepper
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Lynne Woltemath having installed the military tombstone of Musician Wilber D. Perry of the 10th West Virginia. Perry's unmarked grave turned out to be right next to that of his wife Hester. The Historical Society provided documentation and the successful application was submitted by the Historical Society and the Table Rock Cemetery Assocation in 2016.
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Lynn Woltemoth installs the military tombstone for Private Henry Mumford, which had been previously been marked by a private memorial that had disintegrated in the years since his 1870 burial. The graves of his wife, one of his two daughters and daughter's husband are adjacent but remain umarked.
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Elsie Tomek, standing by the for the dedication of the graves of Muician Wilber D. Perry and Private Henry Mumford in 2016, conducted by the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War by arrangement with the Historical Society, who led the efforts to secure the stones. The Legionnaires are Lavon Covault and Tom Hildebrand.
Dedication ceremony by the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, stones of Musician Wilber D. Perry & Private Henry Mumford
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Descendants of Musician Wilber Perry gather at his now-marked grave following the dedication ceremony, along with the Sons.
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Chris Salberg in the Argus Newspaper Museum, Living History Day 2016
Members of the Table Rock Cemetery Association, with a few volunteers, give extra TLC to the historic cemetery, which occasionally & unavoidably is inundated with cornhusks from nearby fields. 2016
After the Civil War Cemetery Walk 2015, Carol Sisco and Mark ?
Descendants of W. G. & Frances Shepherd of the Hotel Murphy and the Reno Inn visit bearing gifts -- photographs and school memorabilia of Cleo Shepherd Epley including an Indian dress and headband made by Cleo in the camp fire girls in the nineteen teens.
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Placing a new sign on the Old Opera House - Kim Vrtiska & Dave Mezger, 2014
The Rock School Foundation is a nonprofit formed alumni of the Pleasant Valley Country School southeast of Table Rock. George Tomek, who has shepherded restoration of the school, talks here with Beth Stukenholtz, founder of the Nebraska Country School Association.
Six alumni of the "rock" country school sharing memories with family friends at the newly-renovated school. It's formal name was Pleasant Valley and it was in the old Pawnee County School District 32. Left row, back to front, Larry Gilbert, Edward Tomek, and Dorothy Fritch. Right row front to back, George Tomek, Milan Tomek, and Rudy Fritch, Jr. The rock country school museum was saved by and is run by the
Rock School Foundation, a nonprofit organization.
Ginny Christianspon, Tony Kent Barnett & Don Barnett at the Pioneer Museum. Photo 6837, September 2018.
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After the Civil War Cemetery Walk by Lantern Light, Larry Angle. 2015.
Linda Jasa and Marie Schmit of St. Anthony's Altar Society donate cleaning time to the old St. John's Catholic Church, a museum since 1970, recently restored.
The old drugstore The bank owns the building, the Historical Society owns the fixtures. It's not open as a business, but tour guests occasionally get an ice cream treat at the end. Jaime and Sam Sitzman are up, served by their tour guide, Sam's sister Sharla.
Leroy Malmos entrusts the flag of his uncle Clarence Morton to the Scouts. The flag had been kept in the cardboard box it came in and was raised in honor of Clarence, who was with the 11,000 troups surrendered at Corregidor; he died in a Japanese prison camp.
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2016 grand re-opening of the Argus Museum
2015, Chris Cerra does a water color of the main newspaper press. Trenton Williamson looks on. Renovation of the Argus had just begun, with most of the movable exhibits moved elsewhere for safe keeping. 2015.
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2016 grand re-opening of the Argus Museum.
Brothers Edward and McCrea Miller with Floyd Vrtiska. 90 years ago the brothers' great great grandfather delivered Floyd and his twin brother Lloyd, two of the 302 babies delivered during his long career here. Taken at a 2017 reception for the McCrea "babies" and the brothers.
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A riderless horse leads the procession for the dedication ceremony for the new military tombstone of Private William McNeal of the 2nd Kansas Cavalry. McNeal was the only young man of Pawnee County who died in the Civil War and his remains were never recovered.
Jack McNeal, descendant of William McNeal, receives McNeal's burial flag. 2017.
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Descendants of William McNeal with Sons of Veterans of Civil War, & Scouts, 2017.
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Sharla Sitzman of the Historical Society receives the Michael Bon Doll Award from the Commander of the Department of Nebraska and Dakotas, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. The award was for her work in researching the Civil War veterans at the Table Rock Cemetery and securing military tombstones for veterans' unmarked graves. There are over 60 veterans buried there.
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Art Alderman, illustrating a story for the Historical Society's newsletter about Dick McCourtney's heartwarming account of losing his marbles and what happened next.
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Volunteers of the Community Club's Fair Committee learn a special part of Table Rock's history -- the making of kolaches by Czech settlers who came here as early as 1867. Kolaches are a sweet bread with filling, traditionally poppyseed, apricot, cherries, etc.