NEBRASKA CITY, Neb. (KMTV) — The Mayhew Cabin in Nebraska City is reopening after seven years — and on Juneteenth.
The cabin served as a stop on the Lane Trail, or Free-State Trail, where 12 enslaved people who had escaped from Missouri rested on their way to freedom. It became the first site in Nebraska added to the National Park Service's Network to Freedom.
Doug Kreifels recalled, "For many, many years, I've driven by and wondered: What happened there? Why isn't this open?"
Today, Kreifels is part of the Mayhew Cabin Foundation. He had taken a field trip to the cabin as a child, just as generations of kids did.
"Those are the things that we want to recreate and reconnect with our history and our heritage that way," he explained.
The cabin's story, as we know it, began in the 1850s, when Nebraska was still a territory — and free. Strangers like Barbara Mayhew and her brother, John Kagi (through John Brown), joined the Underground Railroad network.
Bob Nelson, also of the Mayhew Cabin Foundation, described how the movement evolved.
"It's kind of this radicalization of this group that first starts worrying about stopping slavery's expansion across the country. But by 1859, 1860, they're fired up about killing slavery where it is."
Darryl Hogan is a direct descendant of Sam and Jane Harper — enslaved people who stopped at the the cabin. For him, the site carries deep personal meaning.
"It means legacy, it means safety. It means care and concern and community," Hogan said.
Inside the restored cabin, a door disguised as storage leads to a tunnel. Small spaces and flickering lights depict where those 12 people rested before moving into Tabor, Iowa, then Detroit, and for the Harpers: Canada.
"(Darryl, it's so personal to you. What do you want it to represent to the community?) I want it to represent the good in people," Hogan said.
"There are people who need us and through various simple acts, we can reach out and change a person's life."
Butch Bouvier, who helped restore the cabin, said the reopening has generated excitement throughout the community.
"You can't go into a crowd of people and not have somebody bring it up. Man, what an opportunity. Here it is again. It's back," Bouvier smiled.
The restoration involved repairing some elements, fixing others outright, and building some anew.
The grand re-opening is Friday, June 19th, at 7:00 pm: commemorating Juneteenth and America 250.
Some seating will be provided, but you're welcome to bring a chair if you prefer.
The event is free and open to the public.
The Mayhew Cabin is located at 2012 4th Corso in Nebraska City.
While the cabin itself is complete, one phase remains: the tunnel exit, which leads into the ravine behind the cabin. The Mayhew Cabin Foundation welcomes donations and volunteers to help support that work.
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