The Hometown History Project

This quarter, Osceola's seniors worked on researching different aspects of our town's unique history to create final projects that can be shared with the community.

Students spent weeks conducting interviews and researching the Polk County News online archives, Osceola 1871-1971 (the "Orange Book"), case files, family records, and yearbooks to collect their information.

Click below to explore their research topics!

Student Work

The History of Our County Rivalries

by Creighton Sterup

County RivalsWhy Did the Rivalries Start? There is not a sole reason that the rivalries started but there are things that have happened throughout time. The rivalries most likely started forming when all three towns; Shelby, Osceola, and Stromsburg, formed a school. This is due to the fact that each town would

Osceola's Boys' Basketball Legacy*

by Kale Gustafson

*contains multiple pages

The 1885 Conviction of Milton Wisdom Smith

A collection of projects by Mariyah Kuhn, Emilee Patchen, Emma Recker, Rori Wieseman

The Original Osceola High School

by Matt DeMers

Hometown ProjectIn 1913 Osceola, Nebraska built a new High School. The new high school included: Auditorium - had enough room for spectators so there would be zero interference. Locker rooms Sanitary water fountains Many classrooms Bathrooms Kitchen It cost $50,000 to build in 1913, and if it was built today in

The History of Annie Jeffery Memorial Hospital

by Joseph Meysenburg

Annie Jeffrey Memorial HospitalA summary of the history of Annie Jeffrey Memorial Hospital

The History of Tonniges Chevrolet

by Kenzie Tonniges

Tonniges ChevroletSteve Tonniges by a 1964 chevy pickup in the color sharp blue. This was one of the first pickups at Tonniges Chevrolet.

The Prososki Family Farm

by Hudson Prososki

hometown historyHow the farm started

A Timeline of Sports at OHS*

by Hayden Lavaley

*contains multiple pages

OHS Activities TimelineActivity Timelines

The Urban Homestead

by Taylin Sanley

Urban FarmHow the homestead started...

Osceola's History: An Overview

by Kaden Carlson

Hometown HistoryOsceola was founded in October 1871 by William Francis Kimmell and John Hopwood Mickey. It seemed that within a year, businesses were starting to be built. In 1872, the first courthouse was completed on March 20; the first frame store was built in May; the post office building was built in June;

A History of the Polk County Courthouse

by Courtney Sunday

Courthouse HistoryBeginning Stages of the Courthouse

Photo Credits, used for educational purposes:

City of Osceola

Google Public Images

Osceola Public Schools yearbooks (various years)

Osceola, 1871-1971

The Osceola Record (various years)

The Polk County News (various years)

The Prososki family

The Tonniges family

The Urban family

Blaine Winslow

Photos taken prior to 1928 are in the public domain