Harold Warp is a son of a homesteader family that came to Minden, NE in the 1880’s from Norway. The youngest of 12 children, he didn’t stay on the farm. He and his brothers went off to Chicago to find success in plastic type windows, inventing Flex-O-Glass, and establishing Warp Bros Company. Harold came back to his home town in the 50’s to establish a unique museum that shows how life progressed on the prairies of Nebraska from sod houses, like he was born in, to modern living. It has everything from old buildings, trains, tractors, everything for homes, anything for work on farms, and of course a ton of cars and trucks.

For people who grew up in Nebraska and Kansas anytime in the last 60 years, the family heading off to Pioneer Village was a part of life. Anyone who drove across Nebraska or northern Kansas would’ve seen the 100’s of hand painted billboards on every highway and freeway within 100 mile radius of Minden.

Your author grew up in Nebraska, but I think my parents were uncultured heathens as we never went here. I had always heard about it, but never went. My first time at Pioneer Village was in 2018 on my way home from Rocky Mountain Race Week. I hadn’t been back. And, going to a car show there was just an added bonus.

Check out our galleries of the car show and those of the museum itself. And, if you are ever cruising through the middle of Nebraska, get out of the car for a break and check out the museum.

Scott Liggett