Nevada's oldest museum, the Nevada Historical Society collects and preserves our state’s cultural heritage to make it accessible to everyone through education, research, and exhibitions about the people, places, and events that shape Nevada. We encourage the spirit of discovery and pursuit of knowledge to enrich lives through history.
The Nevada Historical Society was created and led by a woman, Dr. Jeanne Elizabeth Wier. She became a professor in the Department of History and Political Science and served as department head for many years before her retirement in 1940. Wier’s extracurricular activities allowed her to leave her most lasting mark on Nevada. She was deeply involved with the women’s suffrage movement, but her largest contribution was the creation of the first state museum in Nevada.
Wier actively collected, sought support for the organization, and oversaw the operation of the Nevada Historical Society from 1904 until her passing in 1950. By recognizing the importance of preserving the state’s history and making it accessible to everyone, and by fostering the principal institution that has worked to achieve those goals, Jeanne Wier left succeeding generations of Nevadans, and all those interested in the state’s history, in her debt.