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Homestead NHP @HomesteadNHP
Joined September 2009
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  • Followers 17,541
2,339 Photos and videos
Experience farm demonstrations at Homestead Days June 27-28, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., showcasing homesteaders' skills on the Great Plains! #LivingHistory #250 📸: NPS/Robert Hartwig
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Join Homestead National Historical Park as Artist-in-Residence Kelly Matthews shares her Nebraska experience, Homesteading connection, and passion for storytelling on Saturday, June 13 at 2 pm in our Education Center. Image: NPS/Robert Hartwig
Diorama of a homesteader plowing a field with a team of oxen. A house and a wagon stand in the background.

ALT Diorama of a homesteader plowing a field with a team of oxen. A house and a wagon stand in the background.
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Travel 200 years of history with hands-on fun at Homestead Days! Join us June 27-28, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Image: Courtesy of Mini Barnyard Friends Petting Zoo. #HomesteadDays #HomesteadNHP #JuniorRanger #PettingZoo #AmericanStory #250
Several miniature horses and alpacas stand inside connected wire-fenced enclosures on a grassy lawn. The animals eat hay from feeding containers while informational signs hang on the fencing. A building, trees, and landscaped grounds are visible in the background.

ALT Several miniature horses and alpacas stand inside connected wire-fenced enclosures on a grassy lawn. The animals eat hay from feeding containers while informational signs hang on the fencing. A building, trees, and landscaped grounds are visible in the background.

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Discover Edward Kemeys' Prairie Chicken art and its history with historian Dominic Dongilli at Homestead on June 14, 2 p.m. Image: Photo: Edward Kemeys, Prairie Chicken, ca. 1870s, Smithsonian American Art Museum, CC0 #HomesteadNHP #FindYourPark #ArtsInThePark
A bronze statue of a standing prairie chicken with neck feathers extended against a tan backdrop

ALT A bronze statue of a standing prairie chicken with neck feathers extended against a tan backdrop
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Attention kids of all ages! Come to the Education Center at #HomesteadNHP on Saturday, June 13 at 10 a.m. and join us as we discover many things about bats. Then join us as we build bat houses. The event is FREE! Pic Credit: NPS/HOME
A wooden bat house is shown with others being made in the background.

ALT A wooden bat house is shown with others being made in the background.
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Explore traditional crafts that demonstrated the resourcefulness of homesteaders like weaving, porcelain painting, leather working, weaving, and crystal radios at Homestead Days, June 27-28, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. #HomesteadDays #HomesteadNHP
Collage of four photographs showing traditional craft demonstrations at Homestead National Historical Park. In the upper left, two demonstrators process wool and spin yarn using traditional spinning equipment. In the upper right, a demonstrator uses a small weaving loom to create colorful textiles. In the lower left, a demonstrator operates a circular sock-knitting machine. In the lower right, threads are stretched across a large floor loom prepared for weaving.

ALT Collage of four photographs showing traditional craft demonstrations at Homestead National Historical Park. In the upper left, two demonstrators process wool and spin yarn using traditional spinning equipment. In the upper right, a demonstrator uses a small weaving loom to create colorful textiles. In the lower left, a demonstrator operates a circular sock-knitting machine. In the lower right, threads are stretched across a large floor loom prepared for weaving.
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Final birdie update. They have flown the coop! This is known as fledging, which usually happens 2 or 3 weeks after hatching. #Nature
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This is your last week to stop by and see "Dust, Drought, and Dreams Gone Dry" on display at our Education Center! We loved hearing visitors share their family stories of the Dust Bowl. What better way to celebrate #250 than sharing our American stories. #HomesteadNHP #DustBowl
Exhibit panel in "Dust, Drought, and Dreams Gone Dry" with the heading "Railroad, Farms, and American Dreams" above two historic railroad land advertisements from the 1870s.

ALT Exhibit panel in "Dust, Drought, and Dreams Gone Dry" with the heading "Railroad, Farms, and American Dreams" above two historic railroad land advertisements from the 1870s.
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Tallgrass Prairie Fiddle Festival takes place on Saturday, May 23rd at our Education Center. The Shaw brothers are a multi-instrumentalist duo known for their versatility and creative synergy. Join us as they provide a dueling performance at the Tallgrass Prairie Fiddle Festival.
Two men performing on stage. They are holding and playing guitars and violins, helping each other to play their instruments.

ALT Two men performing on stage. They are holding and playing guitars and violins, helping each other to play their instruments.

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On March 13th, 1958, Superintendent Ralph Shaver interviewed Herbert Palmer, the youngest of 10 children born in this cabin. At the time of the interview, Mr. Palmer was 85 years old. Visit the Palmer-Epard cabin today, behind our Heritage Center. Photo: NPS #PalmerEpardCabin
Black and white photo of a one-room log cabin. An elderly man stands in front.

ALT Black and white photo of a one-room log cabin. An elderly man stands in front.
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Dr. Marguerite Scruggs left church when the sky "turned solid black" on Black Sunday. She woke up every morning to her bed coated in dust. Stop by the Education Center to hear her oral history in our temporary exhibit "Dust, Drought, and Dreams Gone Dry"! 📸: LoC #HomesteadNHP
Soil blown by "dust bowl" winds piled up in large drifts near Liberal, Kansas. Photographer Arthur Rothstein, Library of Congress.

ALT Soil blown by "dust bowl" winds piled up in large drifts near Liberal, Kansas. Photographer Arthur Rothstein, Library of Congress.
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Apparently this is the universal sign for “we’re hungry.” 🐦 These tiny robins were just born at the park and they already know exactly how to let the world know it is time for dinner. #Nature
Baby birds with open mouths nestled closely in a woven nest made of twigs and dry grass.

ALT Baby birds with open mouths nestled closely in a woven nest made of twigs and dry grass.
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Any guesses as to what this piece of equipment is called? We have several pieces of farm equipment behind our Heritage Center. If you visit, let us know if you can name them. Image: NPS/HOME
An image of a circular piece of farm equipment like a gear.

ALT An image of a circular piece of farm equipment like a gear.

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Read with a ranger every 3rd Saturday of the month in 2026 at 10:00 a.m. Children of all ages are welcome. Listen to a ranger read a book and participate in an activity. May 16, 10 AM – Tractor Mac Arrives at the Farm by Billy Steers June 20, 10 AM – TBA
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"Life, uh, finds a way." - Jurassic Park We noticed this the other day, a bird had made a nest for her eggs within the ashtray bowl on the back of the Heritage Center here at Homestead National Historical Park. Happy Spring! #Nature
Small bird nest with four bright blue eggs resting inside a metal fixture mounted on a brick wall.

ALT Small bird nest with four bright blue eggs resting inside a metal fixture mounted on a brick wall.

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Attention kids of all ages! Come to the Education Center at #HomesteadNPS on Saturday, May 9 at 10 a.m. and join a ranger as we discover the plants on the prairie. We’ll take a short hike and decorate a flowerpot that will grow into a plant. The event is FREE! 📸:NPS/HOME
The Native Plant Display at Homestead National Historical Park.

ALT The Native Plant Display at Homestead National Historical Park.
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The 2026 Tallgrass Prairie Fiddle Festival is almost here. Join us on Saturday, May 23, 2026. The festival will include a free fiddle workshop at 10am, a jam session at 11am, and the competition at noon. A dueling performance will take place during the Junior Division judging.
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Join us for a ranger program with Amber Kirkendall, where she will explain how Minecraft is used to teach homesteading and where you will get to experience it and try it out for yourself. Sunday, May 10 at 2:00 p.m. at #HomesteadNHP's Education Center.
Back of a child using a tablet to build a homestead in Minecraft during an outdoor ranger program, with other participants seated at tables in the background.

ALT Back of a child using a tablet to build a homestead in Minecraft during an outdoor ranger program, with other participants seated at tables in the background.
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Attention kids of all ages! Come to the Education Center at #HomesteadNPS on Saturday, May 9 at 10 a.m. and join a ranger as we discover the plants on the prairie. We’ll take a short hike and decorate a flowerpot that will grow into a plant. The event is FREE! 📸:NPS/HOME
The Native Plant Display at Homestead National Historical Park.

ALT The Native Plant Display at Homestead National Historical Park.
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Caroline Henderson upended her life to homestead 160 acres as a single woman in "No Man's Land." Her recollections of life in Texas County, Oklahoma, give readers a first-hand account of the Dust Bowl's devastation. 📸: Library of Congress #HomesteadNHP #DustBowl
Farm Security Administration photograph of an abandoned farm in Texas County, Oklahoma. An abandoned wood-frame house sits in a dust field behind a barbed wire fence. A powerline is hanging along the top of the scene.

ALT Farm Security Administration photograph of an abandoned farm in Texas County, Oklahoma. An abandoned wood-frame house sits in a dust field behind a barbed wire fence. A powerline is hanging along the top of the scene.
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