The General Crook House Museum boasts a new artifact that fits its name. A beautiful mahogany furnishing — the Crook cellaret — now rests in a corner of the dining room of the 1879 Italianate style house at Fort Omaha. It’s the museum’s first piece of furniture authenticated as belonging to General George Crook and his wife, Mary. The cellaret, probably crafted in the 1830s, was built to store wine at the proper temperature and includes a lead-lined tank, brass casters in the form of lion paws and brass lion head handles.
The item recently went on public display after its unveiling to a group of donors at the General Crook House, which is operated by the Douglas County Historical Society. Purchased via telephone from an auction house in Virginia, the acquisition came about due to the generosity of about 60 donors.
The General Crook House Museum is located at historic Fort Omaha, 30th and Fort Streets, now the campus of Metropolitan Community College. The museum is open to the public Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. For more information about General Crook House Museum, please call (402) 455-9990 or visit