Category: Cemetery Tour

CANCELLED: Living History Tour

It is with regret that we inform you that the Lincoln County Legacies: A Living History Tour (formerly known as “The Cemetery Tour”) set for September 17-18, 2021 has been cancelled.

However, the Pancake Brunch hosted and supporting the Lincoln County Historical Museum on Sept 18, 2021 at the Lincoln County Historical Museum is still moving forward. Visit the Lincoln County Historical Museum on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/npcanteen to keep updated on Museum events.

UPDATE: The tour was cancelled due to a shortage of actors willing to do the performances, as well as a shortage in time available to write scripts. It takes a lot of behind the scenes work to pull these events off and when nothing was coming together, we decided to cancel it. We hope to try again next year.

Thank you for understanding.

2020 Historical Tour Canceled

This has been a difficult year to say the least. The North Platte Public Library Foundation has decided to cancel the 2020 historical tour. This decision was made in response to the public health concern of gathering in groups due to COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) and the rising local case numbers.

We hope our tourists understand and look forward to presenting a historical tour in 2021. We wish everyone good health and safety in this challenging time.

Fall Living History Tour

Grit and Duds: A Civil War Tour

From April of 1861 until April of 1865, America was embattled in a division of the states over slavery issues, North versus South. After the fighting was over, some soldiers, sailors, and widows who were weary from battle, chose Nebraska Territory to start again and forge a new life. Nebraska officially achieved statehood two years following the end of the Civil War in 1867. Some people who fought on both sides of the Civil War, found themselves neighbors in our community just years later.

This years tour pays tribute to that time when brother fought brother, wives became widows, and mothers became single parents. The living history presentations (each lasting approximately 15 minutes) will tell short stories of nine (9) former citizens in our community who lived or were personally touched by the North versus South fight. The stories will be at different points during, after, and reminiscing about that period of American history known as the American Civil War.

Our actors volunteer their time to present these vignettes of history each year and we thank them heartily. This years actors include:

  • Case Axthelm portraying Edward Dick
  • David Breaker portraying Luther Farrington
  • Michael Davis portraying Reverend Ranna Moore
  • Bill Kackmeister portraying Major Leicester Walker
  • John Kalisch portraying Alonzo Church
  • Suzanne Knolles portraying Rohanna Klein
  • Andrew D. Lee portraying Anthony Ries
  • Teresa Smith portraying Julia Casey
  • Morris Turner portraying Cyrus Fox

Also this year we are welcoming, the City Municipal Band under the direction of Lori Evans. The band will have two performances opening the beginning of each tour with Civil War era music to help set the mood:

  • 6:30 – 7:00 pm Friday Evening
  • 1:00 – 1:30 pm Saturday Afternoon

Friday, September 20, 2019
6:30 pm Live Civil War Music
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Guided Lantern Tour
featuring Living History Presentations of Civil War Ghosts by local actors
*Last tour starts at 8:15 pm – this is guided, nobody will start after 8:15 pm

Saturday, September 21, 2019
7:30 am – 10:00 am Museum Pancake Feed (included in tour ticket, also available separately)
1:00 pm Live Civil War Music
Rifle Fire Demonstrations every 1/2 hour
1:30 pm – 6:00 pm Civil War Walking Tour – self guided and self-paced
1:30 pm – 3:30 pm Indoor Presentation Session 1 – Ask at purchase for availability
4:00 pm – 6:00 pm Indoor Presentation Session 2 – Ask at purchase for availability
*Last tour starts at 4:15 pm to see all actors – we estimate the tour to take 2 hours

Ticket Information
Ticket Pricing (In Advance and at the Gate)
Adults (ages 16 & up): $20.00
Students (ages 6 to 15): $10.00
Children (5 & under): FREE
Cost of ticket includes admission into ALL events above on BOTH days!

Additional Information and Non-Walking Tour
Indoor/Non-Walking tickets are available for Saturday, September 21st for presentations to begin at either 1:30 pm or 4:00 pm. Seating is limited to 70 per show.

How to Purchase Tickets
To purchase tickets and reserve seats or for more information please call or visit the North Platte Public Library at 308-535-8036 or the Lincoln County Historical Museum at 308-534-5640. Please make checks out to: NPPL Foundation, credit cards accepted at the Lincoln County Historical Museum. Good cash or check accepted at either location and the gate.

All events will be held at:
Lincoln County Historical Museum
2403 N Buffalo Bill Ave
North Platte NE

This is a rain or shine event. Feel free to bring your own chair to enjoy the presentations, limited seating will be available at each stop. You may also bring a flashlight to the guided tour Friday evening. Our guides will be using LED lanterns.

Proceeds from this event benefits the North Platte Public Library Foundation and the Lincoln County Historical Museum.

Cemetery Tour 2017 – CANCELLED

The NPPL Foundation has decided to CANCEL this year’s Cemetery Tour.

Library inventory, additional NE150 programming, actor schedule conflicts, and minor renovation closures have impacted timelines to the point we did not think we could do justice to our annual cemetery tour event. Rather than put on a poor event, we have chosen to cancel it for this year.

To our loyal cemetery tourists…this event is slated to return in 2018 so please keep watching.

The NPPL Foundation will have their annual book gift basket sales starting in October.  The Friends of the Library fall book sale will be October  26-28, 2017.

2016 Cemetery Tour: Murder & Mayhem in the Midwest

Download the Booklet

You can call the Library at 308-535-8036 ext 3301 to reserve your tickets, but all INDOOR and OUTDOOR tickets MUST be picked up and PAID for at the Library (120 W 4th ST) prior to the performance you wish to attend.

No reserve tickets will be held at the gate or door. Any ticket sold at the Library location will be Advanced price, Adult tickets sold at the gate/door will be $5.00 more with the INDOOR performance subject to seating availability.

2016 FAQ

ct-2016-poster