The History of the Buffalo County Historical Society

Presented by Dr. Lina Cordia

The Buffalo County Historical Society, or BCHS, began in fits and starts, with early efforts to organize into a Society in the 1960s and its official establishment in 1972. In the time between then and now, BCHS opened its own museum, Trails & Rails, which just celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025, and serves as the official repository for Buffalo County history. This talk dives into some of the motivating ideas, challenges, and successes of the historical society over its more than half-century, as it grew from little more than a stack of papers in a train depot to more than 4-acres of historic buildings filled with collections.

Lina Homberger Cordia is the Curator at the Buffalo County Historical Society/Trails & Rails Museum. She earned her doctorate in history from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is currently completing a master’s degree in library and information sciences with an archival studies specialization from Louisiana State University. Her work has been featured in the Oregon Historical Quarterly and Library of Congress.

Q&A session will follow.

Please join us at the Trails & Rails Museum at 2:00pm on Friday, June 12th at 710 W. 11th St., Kearney, for this free event.

Please direct any questions to Andie Trembley, Community Engagement Director, atrembley@bchs.us or 308-234-3041. For more information, please visit our website, www.bchs.us, or follow us on Facebook at “BuffaloCounty HistoricalSociety.”