Centennial Hall Museum

Centennial Hall, Valentine’s Historical landmark built in 1897 and now the oldest standing high school building in the state of Nebraska, houses a heritage museum of area historical artifacts. The ornate style of architecture reveals the past and will likely never be revived in today’s structures as the cost of the fine craftsmanship in construction would be prohibitive.

The museum has twelve rooms, each with a different theme, including the Hallock Bell collection with over 1,700 bells, the Days of Yesteryear room, the Military room, and many more.

The building is also rumored to be haunted and has been the site of several paranormal investigations. Occasionally, a vacant rocking chair or the sound of music when there is none testify to a ghostly presence.

The museum, located at 3rd and Macomb Streets, is open seasonally: Monday – Wednesday – Closed Thursday & Friday – 1:00 – 5:00 Saturday – 9:00 am -1:00pm. Sunday – Closed ~ If closed – By appointment – (please call)

Volunteer: If you are looking to give a little of your time, The Centennial Hall curators would love to have your help. The more hands on deck, the more that they can be open! Visit with one of the staff to see how you can participate.

Visit the Thrift Store: The museum has an extensive array of clothing, toys and household items for sale in their thrift store. Something new arrives all the time, so stop back often. If you have donations you would like to drop off, please contact Phyllis Ohlmann @ 402-376-1081.

• Phone: 402-376-1081

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Centennial Hall got its start as a high school in 1897 and is now a museum. The story goes that when the building was still a school, a girl was killed in 1944 after someone poisoned her clarinet reed. Teachers soon began reporting seeing her ghost before the school was converted. Now people say that music can be heard from the old music room, even though there are no instruments anymore.