Nevada Division of Museums and History

Exhibition Schedule

Permanent Gallery - Open 10am to 5pm
Wednesday thru Saturday 

Our gallery is broken into two sections focusing upon the State's History. The first is called Nevada: Prisms & Perspectives, broken into five crucial stories about life in the Silver State, but all five are intimately related to each other. The second section is called Biggest Little City in the World, that focuses upon  Reno's fasinating history.

Reno: Biggest Little City in the World

Upcoming Exhibitions Schedule

The Many Faces of George Washington
Mount Vernon Exhibtion
March 1, 2013 thru April 13, 2013 

What a wonderful opportunity to learn about our nation's first president. This traveling panel exhibition was created by Mount Vernon. For school tours, we have a scavenger hunt available.

The Society is honored to be the Nevada stop for this national exhibition on our founding father, George Washington. This exhibition was created by Mount Vernon and is at the Society has the host for the George Washington Nevada Teaching Ambassador's Program.

The Society invites you to a free reception and live performance event at the Society. There will be refreshments and free admission to the galleries. Thomas Plott, Mount Vernon's actor will portray Dr. James Craik, George Washington's personal physician and close friend for over 40 years. The reception is scheduled for Friday, March 1, 2013 from 5:30-7:00pm.

Abraham Lincoln: A man of his time, a man for all time
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
April 19, 2013 thru June 1, 2013

What a wonderful opportunity to learn about the president that created the Battle Born state as the state gears up for our Nevada Sesquicentennial celebrations. This traveling panel exhibition was created by NEH. 

The Society invites you to a free reception and lecture event at the Society. There will be refreshments and free admission to the galleries. Robert Nylen, Curator of History at the Nevada State Museum will give a lecture about Abraham Lincoln's first inaugural address and how the Pony Express played a role in its delivery in 1861. The reception is scheduled for Friday, March 1, 2013 from 5:30-7:00pm. The lecture will begin at 6:15pm.

Lady Jill Mueller
Great Basin National Park: Revisited
Art Exhibition
June 21, 2013 - September 28, 2013

The Society invites you to a free reception event at the Society. There will be refreshments and free admission to the galleries. The reception is scheduled for June 21, 2013 from 5:00-7:30pm. Make sure to stop by during the reception and meet local artist, Lady Jill Mueller. 

This exhibit will be focusing upon the beautiful painted landscape of Great Basin National Park.  

Latimer Club - 6th Annual - Nevada Miniatures
150 Years of Home Means Nevada
October 11, 2013 - December 14, 2013
Reception  - October 18th, 2013 from 5:30-7:00pm. 

The Society invites you to a free reception event at the Society. There will be refreshments and free admission to the galleries. The reception is scheduled for October 18th, 2013 from 5:30-7:00pm. Make sure to stop by during the reception, many of the local artists will be here. 

This exhibit has become a tradition at the Society. Each year, local artists from around the state submit Nevada-themed art miniatures to this juried show. People have an opportunity to purchase these charming pieces of artwork, just in time for Christmas.

This reception will include entertainment featuring Christ Bayer & Mr. Spoons.

4th Annual Haunted Nevada Series - October 2013

The Society invites you to a free series in the Reno History gallery during the month of October. Haunted Nevada will feature a really bad 'Nevada-themed' Movie with our favorite ghoul, Zomboo. There is free parking available around the Society, even behind KNPB on the UNR campus. You can pick up temporary parking permits in our admissions office.

Special Guest - local celebrity - Zomboo
Haunted Nevada Day at the Society
October 19, 2013 

The Society is excited about combining several programs and making it a full day of things that go bump into the night. We will be working on lining up some fascinating lectures: paranormal investigation, a lecture on a prominent Nevada cemetary, and kid's crafts.

As always, we will show a really bad 'Nevada-themed' sci-fi movie and have Zomboo be our guest for the movie. Don't forget your camera.

If you have any thoughts on making this ghoulish day even better, please contact Shery Hayes-Zorn at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Family Activities at NHS

History for the Holidays
December 14, 2013 (Saturday)
12:00pm - 4:00pm

The Society invites you to a free family event at the Society. History for the Holidays originally was a Christmas wreath fundraiser for the Society. Over the past three years, our Holidays event has evolved into an opportunity to buy gifts from local Nevada artists. The museum store highlights Nevada Authors new books and a 20% discount is available on most store merchandise. Family activities include kids crafts, musical entertainment, refreshments and free admission to the galleries.

This year's theme will be having local Nevada vendor's selling one-of-a-kind items in time for Christmas. The Latimer Art exhibit, all the items are for sale. You will get your last chance to purchase original, affordable art by local artists.

High Noon Video Series at NHS

The Society invites you to a free documentary series in the Reno History gallery at noon on the fourth Wednesday of each month. High noon will feature a selection of Nevada videos from Exploring Nevada by Gwen Clancy and SunProductions by Sunny Mildew and Tales of Nevada by Hugh Roy Marshall, with the occassional special guest speaker to discuss the film. There is free parking available around the Society, even behind KNPB on the UNR campus. You can pick up temporary parking permits in our admissions office.

2013 Schedule

Going to Reno - A Divorcee Story
February 27, 2013

In this episode of Exploring Nevada, you’ll learn about Reno's role in becoming the Divorce Capitol of the World. The Society invites you to a free lecture series in the Reno History gallery at 12:00pm on Wednesday.

In this episode of Tales of Nevada, you’ll learn about the Gatekeeper's Museum. The Society invites you to a free lecture series in the Reno History gallery at 12:00pm on Wednesday.

In this episode of Tales of Nevada, you’ll learn about the history of the Thunderbird Lodge. The Society invites you to a free lecture series in the Reno History gallery at 12:00pm on Wednesday.

Tunnel 6 of the V&TRR
May 22, 2013

In this episode of Takes of Nevada, you’ll learn about the history of Tunnel 6 of the V&T and what they are doing to open it up again. The Society invites you to a free lecture series in the Reno History gallery at 12:00pm on Wednesday.

History of Bicycling - Tour de Nez
June 26, 2013

In this episode of Tales of Nevada, you’ll learn about the history of bicycling and the Tour de Nez. The Society invites you to a free lecture series in the Reno History gallery at 12:00pm on Wednesday.

Centennial Ranches
July 24, 2013

In this episode of Exploring Nevada, you’ll learn about how many Nevada ranches have reached the historic landmark of 100 years and the Nevada's Centennial Ranches program. The Society invites you to a free lecture series in the Reno History gallery at 12:00pm on Wednesday.

Lincoln Highway
August 28, 2013

In this episode of Tales of Nevada, you’ll learn about the fascinating history of the Lincoln Highway and their upcoming 100 year celebration. The Society invites you to a free lecture series in the Reno History gallery at 12:00pm on Wednesday.

Genoa History
September 25, 2013

In this episode of Tales of Nevada, you’ll learn about the history of Genoa. The Society invites you to a free lecture series in the Reno History gallery at 12:00pm on Wednesday.

Unearthing Nevada's Past Lecture Series

The Society invites you to a free lecture series in the Reno History gallery on Saturdays from 2:00-3:00pm. Unearthing Nevada's Past lectures are interesting Nevada-themed topics, with a special guest speaker. There is free parking available around the Society, even behind KNPB on the UNR campus. You can pick up temporary parking permits in our admissions office.

Visual Imagery of George Washington
Dr. Scott Casper, UNR History Professor
March 9, 2013
2:00-3:00pm 

Get a personnalized tour of our latest exhibition called the Many Faces of George Washington by local expert, Dr. Scott Casper. He will discuss the exhibition as well as talk about how George Washington's image has been depicted over time.

Scott Casper is Foundation Professor of History at the University of Nevada, Reno, where he teaches American history. His book, Sarah Johnson's Mount Vernon: The Forgotten History of an American Shrine, uncovers the African American community that inhabited George Washington's home in the century after his death. Since 2001, Dr. Casper has worked with the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association to present teacher workshops, both on site and across the United States, about The Father of Our Country in visual imagery.

Kennedy, Nevada
Dr. Alan Wallace, retired Geologist and Researcher
March 16, 2013
2:00-3:00pm

How much do you know about the early mining community of Kennedy, Nevada. Get to see unpublished images from a private collection helping document this thriving community.

Alan Wallace spent a lot of his childhood in Lovelock and Unionville.  After getting his PhD at Oregon State, he spent more than 30 years as a research geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, and much of his field research was done in northern Nevada.  In the summer of 1976, he camped out in the Kennedy mining district while doing the field work for his Master's degree in geology.  Thirty-four years later, he went camping there again and decided to learn a little more about the people and the history.  "A little" turned into a lot, and this talk is a snapshot of the ongoing research on this late-1800s mining camp.

Gold and Silver in the Mojave: Images of the Last Frontier
Lecture and Booksigning
Nicholas Clapp
April 6, 2013
2:00-3:30pm

It is widely held that the Old West, wild and wooly, ceased to exist by 1890, when the U.S. Census concluded: There can hardly be said to be a frontier line. But there was: an irregular line looping through eastern California and Nevada, and encompassing the better part of the Mojave Desert. It was there that in 1895, a hapless prospector idly hammered a rock from an outcrop. It was filigreed with gold. A rush was on... to Randsburg in 1898, then to Tonopah in 1902, to Goldfield in 1904, to Rhyolite in 1906, and ultimately into the shimmering sink of Death Valley. Wonder camps were thronged with builders and wreckers, tradesmen and vultures, miners, cooks, gamblers and more gamblers, whores galore, what-have-you...And photographers. They were little-known and uncelebrated, yet they captured a series of extraordinary images of what was to become a final, go-for-broke chapter in the story of the American West. 

Young Chatauquan Performance
No Dream Deferred’ 2013 Theme
Nevada Humanities Program
May 4, 2013
1:00-3:30pm

This is the second year that the Society has played a hosting site for the Young Chatauquan performance. This year's theme is called No Dream Deferred and there will be many wonderful performances by these young presenters.

International History Topics Lecture Series

The Society invites you to a free lecture series in the Reno History gallery on Saturdays from 2:00-3:00pm. International History Topics lectures cover fascinating cultures, people and events from around the world, with a special guest speaker. There is free parking available around the Society, even behind KNPB on the UNR campus. You can pick up temporary parking permits in our admissions office.

More information about programming will be posted soon.

Exploring Nevada's Playground - Nature Series

The Society invites you to a free lecture series in the Reno History gallery on Saturdays from 2:00-3:00pm. The Nevada Nature lectures will cover topics ranging nature, wildlife, minerals and seimology, with a special guest speaker. There is free parking available around the Society, even behind KNPB on the UNR campus. You can pick up temporary parking permits in our admissions office.

   FREE Admission - 2:00pm showing

The Society invites you to a free film series in the Reno gallery at 2:00pm on Saturdays. The Nevada: Behind the Lens series will feature Nevada themed films. What a fun way to celebrate real or imagined Nevada on film.

Spring 2013 Schedule

Lincoln
May 11, 2013
1:00 to 4:00pm, 3 hours

As the Civil War continues to rage, America's president struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield and as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on the decision to emancipate the slaves. This Oscar winning movie is being shown in honor of the Society's latest exhibition on Abraham Lincoln.

Lecture - Remembering the Misfits, Dr. Howard Rosenberg
July 20, 2013 1:00 to 2:00pm

Lecture synopsis: Remembering the Misfits - join us as we watch the Misfits and get a unique perspective from esteemed Professor Howard Rosenberg on the making of this film.

The Misfits
July 20, 2013
3:00 to 4:30pm, 124 minutes

A sexy divorcée falls for an over-the-hill cowboy who is struggling to maintain his romantically independent lifestyle in early-sixties Nevada. Filming took place in the Reno area.

Apartment for Peggy

August 24, 2013
2:00 to 3:30pm, 89 minutes

Professor Henry Barnes decides he's lived long enough and contemplates suicide. His attitude is changed by Peggy Taylor, a chipper young mother-to-be who charms him into renting out his attic as an apartment for her and her husband Jason, a former GI struggling to finish college. Filming took place on the University of Nevada campus.

Lecture - Miles, Mules, Mosquitoes & Merriment, Chuck Dodd
September 14, 2013, 1:00 to 2:00pm

Lecture synopsis: You will want to hitch a ride on this fascinating and often grueling trip the emigrant's life across the country in a covered wagon and recorded in their personal diaries and journals. Chuck Dodd, a trail historian, writer and speaker will weave a fascinating program on this topic.

The Covered Wagon  (Silent Film)
September 14, 2013
2:30 to 4:00 pm, 98 minutes

Two wagon caravans converge at what is now Kansas City, and combine for the westward push to Oregon. On their quest the pilgrims will experience desert heat, mountain snow, hunger, and indian attack. To complicate matters further, a love triangle develops, as pretty Molly must chose between Sam, a brute, and Will, the dashing captain of the other caravan. Can Will overcome the skeleton in his closet and win Molly's heart?