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History · Bruning

Bruning’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Bruning. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

0old images & papers
6recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

Bruning was established in 1887 as a town on the railroad. It was named for Frank Bruning

During World War II the U.S. Army Air Forces operated Bruning Army Airfield nearby. In October 1960, inventor and aviator Ed Yost used Bruning as the starting point for the first free flight of a modern, propane-fueled hot air balloon.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Be one of the first

Start Bruning’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bruning’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people close to Bruning

See all 24 →
RWRobert B. WilsonGeneva · 14 miKate BarnardKate BarnardGeneva · 14 miMaxine GatesMaxine GatesHebron · 12 miPhilip MeyerPhilip MeyerDeshler · 16 miJNJohn E. NelsonGeneva · 14 miGLGreg LeeHebron · 12 mi
By decade

Bruning, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
Today6 photos
Bruning, Nebraska opera houseCommonsBruning, Nebraska opera house2010Bruning, Nebraska from SCommonsBruning, Nebraska from S2010Bruning, Nebraska downtown 3CommonsBruning, Nebraska downtown 32010Bruning, Nebraska downtown 2CommonsBruning, Nebraska downtown 22010Bruning, Nebraska downtown 1CommonsBruning, Nebraska downtown 12010NEMap-doton-BruningCommonsNEMap-doton-Bruning2005
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Bruning is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Bruning has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Strang School District No. 36 in Belle Prairie, 5.4 miles away.

Bruning and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Bruning. Tap a dot.
Strang School District No. 36Belle Prairie Township Hall & Strang Town Hall-JailOhiowa Public SchoolMarion and Ruth Ann Dole HouseMaple Grove Sales Pavilion and Farrowing BarnRichard E. Dill House

Closest to Bruning

Strang School District No. 36Belle Prairie · Built 19295.4miBelle Prairie Township Hall & Strang Town Hall-JailStrang · Building5.6miOhiowa Public SchoolOhiowa · Building7.9miMarion and Ruth Ann Dole HouseAlexandria · Building8miMaple Grove Sales Pavilion and Farrowing BarnFranklin · Building10.3mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Strang School District No. 36’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Bruning?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Bruning’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Belle Prairie📜 Belvidere📜 Strang📜 Hamilton

From Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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