Door to the past donated to local museum
In the 1940s, the U.S. Army developed what would be known as the Sioux Army Depot. Relics from that time were recently donated to the Fort Sidney Museum.
By News Channel NebraskaSIDNEY -- It might look like a simple screen door, but the stories it could tell.
Tom Mueller recently donated a door to Sidney's past, the time of prisoners of war held at the Sioux Army Depot.
"The screen door came from my father, Kenneth Mueller. I assume, I'm ... pretty sure it was the late '70s, and they acquired barracks to demolish. When they demolished it, all the wood, there was some names of Italian prisoners written on the wood," Mueller said.
The door donated to the Fort Sidney Museum August 21 is from an Italian prisoner barracks.
Mueller said it is possible there are homes in the Sidney community that have wood from the Sioux Army Depot.
"A lot of the wood ... back then, people remodeled with them. So, some of those barracks woods are in the community as additions to homes," he said.
Mueller also donated a folding chair from the early days of the Depot. It still shows evidence of a less than sanitary habit of students.
"Back then, in the '40s, everybody chewed gum, and the gum is still there," he said.
The Fort Sidney Museum has a room dedicated to history of the Sioux Army Depot.
Duane Nightingale, a volunteer at the museum, explained the Depot display, noting the museum has much of it on loan.
"This is all on loan. This still belongs to the organization. It's on record, but it's all on loan. They had everything from small arms to 2,000 lb. bombs out there," Nightingale said referring to the Sioux Army Depot.