Founded in 1968, the Boone County Historical Society, Inc. built the first section of its museum in four years, finishing in 1972. The museum almost doubled in size thanks to an addition in the 1980s. Today the society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to acquiring, preserving, interpreting, and displaying the county’s historical artifacts and records.
During the winter and spring of 2025–26, the main building was given a facelift while the new 2024 agricultural building was filled with a collection that includes fire engines, cars, trucks, wagons, and horse-drawn farm implements.
With more than fifty displays, the museum has a large collection of Boone County artifacts from the 1880s through World War II. Some of the well-developed displays feature the military, historical clothing, and Albion’s famous popcorn wagon.
One of the most interesting features is the Smoyer-Wathen display, which tells the story of the June 1937 murder that remained unsolved for eighty years until 2017. During that case, Sheriff Smoyer and Constable Wathen went into the Bonanza precinct near Akron, Nebraska, following reports of two strange men in the hills. As Smoyer went to open a pasture gate, a car came over a hill, and one of the men inside opened fire, killing the sheriff and seriously wounding Wathen.
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When the two men were found the next day, Wathen was able to write a description of the car and its occupants; Wathen died in October later that year.
The society has placed a monument in the hills where the murder occurred, and at the Boone County Courthouse, a memorial recognizes all officers who give the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty, including Sheriff Smoyer and Constable Wathen.
Through educational outreach programs, the society promotes public awareness of the region’s diverse heritage. Partnering with local county schools, it has introduced field trips to the museum or “topic” presentations hosted at the schools. Albion’s assisted living, area daycare of 4-to-5-year-olds, Alumni Weekend attendees, and family reunions all bring visitors to enjoy the museum.
The society has strong participation from its membership and “Friend of the Museum” programs. The organization has been operated by volunteers since its inception. It is supported, in part, by Boone County, and by the donations and memberships that make the museum a place to visit and do family research. Currently the society is working with county residents to fill in family histories from 1985 to the present. (The county’s population is just over 5,000 people.)
The Boone County Museum is located in Albion, NE, at 935 W. Fairview, where visitors will find a casual front porch. Regular hours are 1–4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, Memorial Weekend through September. Visitors can call for an appointment throughout the year. The museum will accommodate visitors if volunteers are available. Phone number is 402-741-2527 and callers are asked to leave a message. Events occur throughout the year. Some examples of regular events are Halloween family trick-or-treating, Big Give December event, school field trips, and an appreciation dinner for volunteers.
Visitors can find the museum on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/boonecountymuseum. Questions may be sent to boonecomuseum@gmail.com, or callers can use the phone number above. The society is proud of what the museum represents for Boone County. If you are in the neighborhood, come check it out.
—Boone County Historical Society, September 2026
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