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The Sunny Hillside School Museum Cambridge, NEThis wonderful little building, having served as a one room country school house for 75 years is now nestled in the Cambridge City Park in Cambridge, NE. Completely restored with furnishings donated by several different people. From the time you walk in the door of the foyer until you leave you just know you have just stepped back in time. |
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| This is the scene as you walk
in the door. Where the children sat thieir lunch pails each morning
and hung thier coats. I love the little tin pails. |
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The pictures on this page were
taken in May of 2002 while we were in Nebraska for our Gutzman Family Reunion.
Having just started in Genealogy a few months before we were a very
determined group. My sister Kaye (in the photo to the left lives in
Benkleman, NE a little over an hour away. We had planned to visit the
school house, and several other places on this day. So, when
we got to Cambridge and found the doors to the school were locked we decided
to try the city office. Wonderful people work there. They simply
gave us the key and asked that we bring it back when we were finished. Believe
me, that would never happen in any town near me. |
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| Once we finally got in there was
no stopping us. I have to admit we left no stones unturned. Being
careful of course not to disturb or damage any of the very precious items
that were found. And me being me wanted copies of everything. Thank
goodness the city office was just around the corner as I sent my husband
David to ask if there were anyway we could make copies of the many items
we had found. "Just bring anything here that you would like copied
and we will be happy to make them for you." Or something to that effect.
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And we did. I was to ashamed
to ask for all of the copies I wanted and have come to regret it many times.
Oh, by the way, that is Dave bent over the desk checking out the books.
He has been hooked on research every since that day. We now spend
hours in courthouses and museums every time we get the chance. |
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| And this is my sister Margie.
She was the last of the Gutzmans to attend the little shool. The
homestead was sold in 1948 and they moved to town the next year. All
of the kids agree that school was never the same once you left Sunny Hillside.
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NEW ADDITION JUNE 2004 Donated by Connie Sayer Andrews Connie had purchased the piano at the aution when the school closed. It has been in her possesion since. However just weeks before her death on July 1, her family found her a new piano and this one was donated back to the school where it originated. Photograph sent by Keith Andrews, Connie's son. |
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| We went back to the
school in July of 2003, we took my brother Francis with us this time. However,
the temperatures were in the 100's making it very difficult to move
around. So, I still didn't get all of the information I had wanted.
But, the memories it brought back to him were worth all of the documents
in the world. After that we had no problem getting him to talk about
the past and life as child on the farm and at Sunny Hillside School. His
memories were of a hard life but, like most he remembers them with fondness
as some of the best days of his life, as do my two sisters who were fortunate
enough to have been a part of this history. If you are ever in Cambridge, and can't find anything else to do. Find the time to visit this little museum, it is well worth the time and effort it takes to get in. And if you like museums there is always the museum next to the Library. It has everything from the past. But, that is another story for another time. |
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