York County Historical Association

Home
United States
York, NE
York County Historical Association

The York County Historical Association, founded in 1967, exists to preserve, research, and interpret the materials and history related to York County, NE.

08/28/2026

Then and Now: The Nobes House, 624 E 6th St, York Nebraska

Charles (CJ) Nobes settled in York in the late 1800s. He was responsible for a significant portion of York's early commercial development. He and his wife Helen lived in a large farmhouse located at what is now the southeast corner of 4th & Delaware. Their property extended east to what is now Road 'N' (St Joseph Cemetery). What is now Nobes Road ran along their south property line.

CJ and Helen decided to move into the City and arranged for this home to be built, but he passed away in early 1897 just before it was finished. Helen and their daughters Nellie and Jane moved in anyway.

The Nobes daughters later inherited the house. Jane married George Neill, and they lived there a couple of years. Nellie Belle also married, to James Raleigh McCloud, who would later be president of what is now Cornerstone Bank. After a brief adventure in Idaho, James and Nellie came back to York and moved back in. They had two daughters, Mildred and Ann, and lived here until 1957.

The Nobes house was later also home over the next few decades to longtime residents the Brogan and Scholz families.

In the postcard image you can see one of the buildings in back that used to make up part of the Ursuline Academy Convent and Seminary, which was located where St. Joseph School is now.

The house itself appears largely unchanged from the front, except for a wing of the porch which disappeared in the intervening years.

Click Like & Follow if you enjoy these 'Then and Now' posts!

08/26/2026

What’s Your Story Wednesday – A New Acquisition

You just never know what will show up at the York County Historical Association on any given day. One item we received recently was an AM Radio. It only plays one station - KAWL - but what more did anyone need? Today we have so many forms of entertainment at our disposal it’s hard for us to fathom being happy with just ONE station, but we were.

Not so long ago, radio was the ‘something new and innovative’ everyone wanted. It offered a moment to escape during the hardships of the 1930’s. Early radios were big heavy objects that, in most of York County, ran on a battery since electricity hadn’t reached rural areas yet. At the turn of a dial, you might be able to listen to a soap opera like The Guiding Light, which later transitioned to television, or hear a fun for the whole family comedy program like Amos ‘n’ Andy.

Listening to music, sports and the news had families gathering around the radio in the evenings to relax. You may have worked on other tasks at the same time, but you listened. In my thoughts I can see mom knitting or mending clothes. Dad might be fixing some small farm tool, reading the newspaper, or just resting. Kids could be putting a puzzle together, coloring, doing homework. It sure seems peaceful.

Stop by the York County Historical Association on Wednesday or Saturday mornings from 9:00 until 12:00 to see the radio and maybe get a chance to hear it. It still works in all of its AM glory. You’ll be glad you did!

08/21/2026

Then and Now: Bradshaw, West side of Lincoln Street, circa 1925.

While we see cars here parked in the winter with snow piled up, there were almost certainly a few people still getting around on horseback at the time.

The population of Bradshaw back then was around 350, and per the latest census, it is about 280 today.

08/19/2026

What's Your Story Wednesday - It's Just Potatoes Rolling in a Wagon

What a blessing the rains have been this week. As I listened to the thunder and rain hitting the windows the other night, I remembered that at one time I would have been petrified. Anytime I heard the roar of thunder and watched flashes of lightning illuminate the room I would hide and cry. It seems silly to me now, but back in the day it was a real thing. My babysitter would tell me that "It's nothing more than potatoes rolling in a wagon in heaven." I wasn't so sure, the noise sounded closer than that to me. I wonder if it might have been a bit of Scandinavian lore she shared with me because she also said that "All good Swedish homes have a picture of a ship on the wall." I suppose that children worldwide might be afraid of storms and parents and grandparents would try almost anything to ease their fears.

Luckily, the fear ended as I grew older. In fact I enjoy storms now - I just don't like the damage they cause. Listening to the rain dripping into a puddle by the edge of the house and thunder that seems to rumble far into the distance can induce the deepest sleep when it happens at night and the scent of rain-washed air is simply divine.

Do any of you remember someone telling you a story to soothe your fears when you were young? Share them with us in the comments - we'd love to read them. And in case they didn't, just imagine the sound of potatoes rolling around in the bottom of a wagon the next time you hear thunder - Olive might have been onto something.

Discover more of York County's rich ethnic heritage at the York County Historical Association on Wednesday and Saturday morning's from 9:00 until 12:00, you'll be glad you did!

08/17/2026

The following questions were asked recently by inquiring readers: Editor’s note: This week’s feature will be a collection of history-related questions which have been received over the past few months. As they came in, they were put together in a file and will today all be answered collectively,...

08/16/2026

Then and Now: East Hill Park.

Did you know that before East Hill Park was established, the land it sits on was a cemetery?

Calvary Cemetery occupied the entire footprint of land between East 6th and 8th Streets, from Blackburn all the way to Delaware Ave. Today's Leavitt Stadium complex, the Nebraska Army National Guard Facility, and the 12 homes between Mayhew and Delaware in that span, are all on old cemetery ground.

The graves were relocated around or shortly after 1900 (?), mostly to Greenwood Cemetery. Not just the headstones. We promise!

Note the houses in the background that are largely unchanged after over 100 years.

Don't miss the young lady enjoying the park in the historical image, on the left. We used Google Gemini to sharpen that part of the image, it is included in the comments.

The Historical Association is open from 9-12 Wednesdays and Saturdays, and we'd love to see you, come on in and see what other mysteries and treasures you can seek out about your community's history!

Address

109 East 6th Street
York, NE
68467

Telephone

+14023622990

Website

http://yorkcountyhistorical.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when York County Historical Association posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to York County Historical Association:

Want your organization to be the top-listed Non Profit Organization in York?