Homestead National Monument of America
Encyclopedia
Homestead National Monument of America, a unit of the National Park System, commemorates passage of the Homestead Act
of 1862, which allowed any qualified person to claim up to 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) of federally owned land in exchange for five years of residence and the cultivation and improvement of the property. The Act eventually transferred 270000000 acres (1,092,652.2 km²) from public to private ownership.
The national monument is four miles west of Beatrice
, Gage County
, Nebraska
on a site that includes some of the first acres successfully claimed under the Homestead Act. The national monument was first included in the National Register of Historic Places
on October 15, 1966.
, agriculture, native tribes, the tallgrass prairie ecosystem, and federal land policy. The roof line of the center resembles a “single bottom plow moving through the sod,” and the parking lot
measures exactly 1 acres (4,046.9 m²). A separate Education Center features science and social science presentations that can be shared with classrooms anywhere in the United States through distance-learning.
restored to approximate the ecosystem that once covered the central plains of the United States—and that was nearly plowed into extinction by the homesteaders. This restoration, which necessitates regular mowing, haying, and prescribed burns, has been managed by the National Park Service for more than 60 years and is the oldest in the National Park System. The park maintains about 2.7 miles of hiking trails through the prairie and woodland surrounding Cub Creek, accessible via all-terrain wheelchair.
The Freeman School, built of foot-thick red brick with carved limestone
lintels, was the longest continuously used one-room school in Nebraska history (1872–1967). The school also served as a Lutheran church, a polling place for Blakely Township
, and a community center for debates, clubs, and box social
s. The National Park Service has restored the school to look as it did during the 1870s.
The Freeman School was the focus of an early, influential judicial decision regarding separation of church and state. In 1899, Daniel Freeman
sued the school board after a teacher, Edith Beecher, refused to stop praying, reading the Bible, and singing gospel songs in her classroom. In Freeman v. Scheve, et. al. (1902), the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that Beecher’s activities violated provisions of the Nebraska constitution.
(1826–1908), a native of Ohio, filed the first homestead claim in the Brownville, Nebraska
land office on January 1, 1863. By the mid-1880s, Freeman also claimed to have been the first homesteader in the nation. A relentless self-promoter, Freeman eventually amassed more than 1000 acres (4 km²) and became a prominent citizen of Gage County. As early as 1884, he first proposed the idea of memorializing himself as the earliest homesteader, and shortly after his death in 1908, Beatrice residents talked of preserving his homestead as a national park.
Proposals to create such a park were rejected until during the mid-1920s, the influential Senator George W. Norris suggested a historical museum of agricultural implements be established on the Freeman property and the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution
dedicated a marker there.
In 1934, Beatrice citizens organized the National Homestead Park Association, reinvigorating the movement. In 1935, Norris and newly elected congressman Henry C. Luckey of Lincoln
introduced legislation to create the park, which eventually became law in March 1936. But federal funding for the purchase was not obtained until March 1938. Negotiations with the Freeman heirs “dragged on for months over the value of the land,” and condemnation proceedings were instigated to bring them to terms. The government took possession at the end of the year.
A few improvements were made to the site before American entrance into World War II effectively ended both visitation and development. In the 1950s, the National Park Service acquired the Palmer-Epard cabin and built a visitor center as part of its Mission 66
program. A small museum there exhibited some of the artifacts donated to the park by the Gage County Historical Society in 1948. By 1981 the national monument had five permanent employees, one part-time employee, and some seasonal personnel.
In the 1970s and ‘80s, seasonal rangers presented living history
demonstrations, although many of their activities were later viewed as “not historically accurate for the homestead era” and “more reminiscent of the Appalachian hill country than prairie homesteads.” By the 1990s, the NPS had limited funding for such interpretation, and the monument began to extend the story of the Homestead Act to other regions of the country. Under Superintendent Mark Engler, a Beatrice native, the national monument dedicated the Homestead Heritage Center in 2007 with more interactive displays that treated the Homestead Act from a broader prospective, a change symbolized in part by a “Living Wall” at its entrance with a physical representation of the percentage of land successfully homesteaded in each state.
Homestead Act
A homestead act is one of three United States federal laws that gave an applicant freehold title to an area called a "homestead" – typically 160 acres of undeveloped federal land west of the Mississippi River....
of 1862, which allowed any qualified person to claim up to 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) of federally owned land in exchange for five years of residence and the cultivation and improvement of the property. The Act eventually transferred 270000000 acres (1,092,652.2 km²) from public to private ownership.
The national monument is four miles west of Beatrice
Beatrice, Nebraska
Beatrice is a city in and the county seat of Gage County, Nebraska.Beatrice is located south of Lincoln on the Big Blue River. It is surrounded by agricultural country. The population was 12,459 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, Gage County
Gage County, Nebraska
-History:Gage County was formed with land taken from the Oto in an 1854 treaty. It was named after the minister William D. Gage.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 22,993 people, 9,316 households, and 6,204 families residing in the county. The population density was 27 people per...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
on a site that includes some of the first acres successfully claimed under the Homestead Act. The national monument was first included in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on October 15, 1966.
Homestead Heritage Center and Education Center
The Homestead Heritage Center, dedicated in 2007, contains exhibits that treat the effect of the Homestead Act on immigrationImmigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
, agriculture, native tribes, the tallgrass prairie ecosystem, and federal land policy. The roof line of the center resembles a “single bottom plow moving through the sod,” and the parking lot
Parking lot
A parking lot , also known as car lot, is a cleared area that is intended for parking vehicles. Usually, the term refers to a dedicated area that has been provided with a durable or semi-durable surface....
measures exactly 1 acres (4,046.9 m²). A separate Education Center features science and social science presentations that can be shared with classrooms anywhere in the United States through distance-learning.
Tallgrass Prairie
The park includes 100 acre (0.404686 km²) of tallgrass prairieTallgrass prairie
The tallgrass prairie is an ecosystem native to central North America, with fire as its primary periodic disturbance. In the past, tallgrass prairies covered a large portion of the American Midwest, just east of the Great Plains, and portions of the Canadian Prairies. They flourished in areas with...
restored to approximate the ecosystem that once covered the central plains of the United States—and that was nearly plowed into extinction by the homesteaders. This restoration, which necessitates regular mowing, haying, and prescribed burns, has been managed by the National Park Service for more than 60 years and is the oldest in the National Park System. The park maintains about 2.7 miles of hiking trails through the prairie and woodland surrounding Cub Creek, accessible via all-terrain wheelchair.
Palmer-Epard Cabin
The restored Palmer-Epard Cabin was built in 1867 about fourteen miles northeast of the Monument. Over more than sixty years, Palmers and Epards lived in the 14 X 16 foot structure before it was converted to grain storage. The cabin, built of squared logs of mixed hardwoods, consists of a single, earth-floored room downstairs and a small attic. It was donated to the park in 1950 and has been moved and restored several times through the intervening years.Freeman School
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
lintels, was the longest continuously used one-room school in Nebraska history (1872–1967). The school also served as a Lutheran church, a polling place for Blakely Township
Blakely Township, Gage County, Nebraska
Blakely Township is one of twenty-four townships in Gage County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 394 at the 2000 census. A 2006 estimate placed the township's population at 397.-External links:*...
, and a community center for debates, clubs, and box social
Box social
Box social is a term with varying definitions in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.-American usage:In the U.S. state of Vermont the tradition is that women decorate a cardboard box and fill it with a lunch or dinner for two. The men bid on the women's boxes anticipating a meal with...
s. The National Park Service has restored the school to look as it did during the 1870s.
The Freeman School was the focus of an early, influential judicial decision regarding separation of church and state. In 1899, Daniel Freeman
Daniel Freeman
Daniel Freeman was an American homesteader, physician and Civil War veteran. He was recognized as the first person to file a claim under the Homestead Act of 1862...
sued the school board after a teacher, Edith Beecher, refused to stop praying, reading the Bible, and singing gospel songs in her classroom. In Freeman v. Scheve, et. al. (1902), the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that Beecher’s activities violated provisions of the Nebraska constitution.
Administrative history
Daniel FreemanDaniel Freeman
Daniel Freeman was an American homesteader, physician and Civil War veteran. He was recognized as the first person to file a claim under the Homestead Act of 1862...
(1826–1908), a native of Ohio, filed the first homestead claim in the Brownville, Nebraska
Brownville, Nebraska
Brownville is a village in Nemaha County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 146 at the 2000 census.- History :Established in 1854 and incorporated in 1856, Brownville was the largest town in the Nebraska Territory, with a population of 1,309 by 1880. Bordering slave-holding Missouri, the...
land office on January 1, 1863. By the mid-1880s, Freeman also claimed to have been the first homesteader in the nation. A relentless self-promoter, Freeman eventually amassed more than 1000 acres (4 km²) and became a prominent citizen of Gage County. As early as 1884, he first proposed the idea of memorializing himself as the earliest homesteader, and shortly after his death in 1908, Beatrice residents talked of preserving his homestead as a national park.
Proposals to create such a park were rejected until during the mid-1920s, the influential Senator George W. Norris suggested a historical museum of agricultural implements be established on the Freeman property and the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution
Daughters of the American Revolution
The Daughters of the American Revolution is a lineage-based membership organization for women who are descended from a person involved in United States' independence....
dedicated a marker there.
In 1934, Beatrice citizens organized the National Homestead Park Association, reinvigorating the movement. In 1935, Norris and newly elected congressman Henry C. Luckey of Lincoln
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
introduced legislation to create the park, which eventually became law in March 1936. But federal funding for the purchase was not obtained until March 1938. Negotiations with the Freeman heirs “dragged on for months over the value of the land,” and condemnation proceedings were instigated to bring them to terms. The government took possession at the end of the year.
A few improvements were made to the site before American entrance into World War II effectively ended both visitation and development. In the 1950s, the National Park Service acquired the Palmer-Epard cabin and built a visitor center as part of its Mission 66
Mission 66
Mission 66 was a US National Park Service ten-year program that was intended to dramatically expand Park Service visitor services by 1966, in time for the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Park Service....
program. A small museum there exhibited some of the artifacts donated to the park by the Gage County Historical Society in 1948. By 1981 the national monument had five permanent employees, one part-time employee, and some seasonal personnel.
In the 1970s and ‘80s, seasonal rangers presented living history
Living history
Living history is an activity that incorporates historical tools, activities and dress into an interactive presentation that seeks to give observers and participants a sense of stepping back in time. Although it does not necessarily seek to reenact a specific event in history, living history is...
demonstrations, although many of their activities were later viewed as “not historically accurate for the homestead era” and “more reminiscent of the Appalachian hill country than prairie homesteads.” By the 1990s, the NPS had limited funding for such interpretation, and the monument began to extend the story of the Homestead Act to other regions of the country. Under Superintendent Mark Engler, a Beatrice native, the national monument dedicated the Homestead Heritage Center in 2007 with more interactive displays that treated the Homestead Act from a broader prospective, a change symbolized in part by a “Living Wall” at its entrance with a physical representation of the percentage of land successfully homesteaded in each state.