WHAT: Brown Bag Lecture Series
HOSTED BY: UNK Department of History
TITLE: “Waterpower, Trolley Cars and 8 Lightbulbs: Kearney’s Early Electric History”
TOPIC: Have you ever wondered how electricity first arrived in Kearney? For a late 1800s city located in rural Nebraska, far from the bustling metropolises, electricity likely seemed like an unattainable fantasy. However, that fantasy became reality when George Frank moved in with a futuristic, electric vision for Kearney. This presentation delves into why Frank chose hydroelectric power over other methods, the development of the canal system that still runs through the city, how electricity transformed Kearney, electricity-powered business endeavors, and how an electric vision nearly 150 years ago continues in Nebraska today.
PRESENTER: April White has been director of the G.W. Frank Museum of History and Culture since 2019, and she’s also an adjunct instructor in the UNK Department of History. A native Nebraskan from the Omaha area, she came to Kearney in 2003 to attend UNK, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in art history and master’s degree in history. As a director and instructor, she engages and cultivates relationships with UNK students and faculty to train future museum professionals to build a bright future for her museum and the public history field. The Frank Museum is her favorite place in the whole world, and she enjoys learning about its history and sharing the museum’s story.
TIME: Noon
DATE: Wednesday, Sept. 10
PLACE: Kearney Public Library, 2020 First Ave.
VIDEO: Available on the Kearney Public Library YouTube channel
CONTACT: Nathan Tye, associate history professor, 308.865.8860, tyen@unk.edu