NORA JOHNSON HENN | THE
ARCHIVE | THE LIBRARY
About Nora Henn
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Nora Johnson Henn (May 23, 1925 - May 15, 2011) was Lincoln
County Historian for many years. She compiled, for her own
interest and to help others, one of the most extensive research
collections concerning the Lincoln County War and its events
and personalities that is known to exist.
Nora Henn was born on May 23, 1925 to Albert Johnson and Nora
Murray Johnson at Dallas, Texas. Nora attended high school
at Dallas before moving to California. It was there that she
met artist Walter Henn, whom she married on June 27, 1945 at
Los Angeles, California. The couple lived for a time in Rochester,
NY, where they worked for Kodak.
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Nora and Walter moved to Lincoln,
NM in 1965 where they were instrumental in organizing the Lincoln
County Historical Society as well as the historical ordinance
that keeps Lincoln in the pristine condition that tourist delight
in finding today. Walter was the first director of the Lincoln
County Heritage Trust and both he and Nora, among others, were
responsible for the restoration of many of the original buildings
in Lincoln. Walter passed away in 1999 at the age of 82.
Nora continued work on her book about the history of Lincoln
County, a detailed work that will probably never be equaled.
In the words of her friend and Lincoln County historian Frederick
Nolan of London, UK, "Nora not only
knew the history of Lincoln County and its wars, she even knew
the gossip from the period!"
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The Archive
The Archive includes two major collections: One is materials by
and collected by Nora Henn (nee Johnson); the second is materials
by and collected by Alice Blakestad. Other collections donated to
and available at the archives include the Bosselman, Schrechengost
and Boylan collections.
The Archive includes original and primary source material, biographical
collections, census material, manuscripts, correspondence, copies
of county and federal records concerning local history, transcribed
interviews, bibliographies, family genealogies, periodicals and other
historical resources.
Alice Blakestad's interest was local genealogy, and her files on
the history of local families and places are extensive. She published A
Gravesite Directory of Cemeteries in Lincoln County, LCHS Publication
No. 8, 2001.
Walter R. Henn, landscape and portrait painter in oil and watercolor,
was interested in art, theater, literature and history. His art graces
the walls of the house.
The Library
The foundation is located in the former home of Nora and Walter
Henn in Lincoln, NM. Except for the research room that is dedicated
to the archives, the home is as Mrs. Henn left it. The building was
originally an old adobe that was likely constructed in the late 1800s;
more recent additions are used by the full-time caretaker.
The Library includes over 2,000 volumes of non-fiction, some novels,
chiefly history, and specifically the West and the Lincoln County
War; also periodicals and video materials.
Research at the Foundation is by appointment
only. Please see our Policies and
Contact pages
to make an appointment.
No curios! No souvenirs. No check-out. Research supervised. Appointments
with member of foundation staff only.
No fee for research. Per page fee for copies. Internet access available.
For directions, contact staff.
NORA JOHNSON HENN | THE
ARCHIVE | THE LIBRARY
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