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Harlan County Museum


category : Museums
Harlan County Museum The Harlan County Museum is home for the Hufnagel "PIETA." Given to St. Mary's Catholic Church by German immigrant, Frank Hufnagel, it arrived by wagon freight about 1878, and was displayed in the original frame church and then the "new" 1898 church until the late 1970s. the Pieta was moved to the museum and restored in 1991.

The museum's main building is the former Orleans Opera House, built in the early 1880s. Not only was it used for plays, but also for speakers such as Carrie Nation, George Norris, and William Jennings Bryan.

Also on the museum grounds is an 1877 log cabin, an 1893 school house, and an 1879 jail. Watch the artists at work at the working blacksmith shop, and see the old time Barber Shop, Creamery, and Post Office, plus lots of old hand tools and memorabilia.


Schoolhouse Jail

Hufnagel Pieta


Hours: Hours: Mid-April through September
Thursday thru Saturday afternoons, 1:00 to 4:000 p.m.
Appointments Welcomed
Address: Downtown Orleans

308-928-2211, or 1-800-762-5498 (Harlan County Tourism)

Come visit us in Orleans, Nebraska

Attractions and Upcoming Events

St. Mary's Catholic Church

In 1878 the German Pieta arrived at the spectacular St. Mary's Catholic Church in Orleans via wagon freight. It was given to the church by Frank Hufnagel, a German immigrant. The present church was built in 1898, and the pieta remained in this building until 1991 when it was moved to

Orleans, NE Historic Churches

Harlan County Museum

The Harlan County Museum is home for the Hufnagel "PIETA." Given to St. Mary's Catholic Church by German immigrant, Frank Hufnagel, it arrived by wagon freight about 1878, and was displayed in the original frame church and then the "new" 1898 church until the late 1970

Orleans, NE Museums

Historic Orleans Hotel

For a step back in time, plan to stay at the historic Orleans Hotel. Built in 1929, the hotel's original hardwood floors and massive woodwork cast a friendly glow in the spacious lobby, with its open staircase to the second floor.

Orleans, NE Historic Hotels

Things to do Museums near Orleans, NE