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1865 –
First Czech settlers came to the area.
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1873 –
Internationally known geologist Charles D. Wilber plots the town of Wilber, NE.
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1873 –
William H. Mann and Charles D. Wilber complete the town's first mill for the cost of $19,000.
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1877 –
Wilber, NE became the county seat.
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1895 –
Hotel Wilber was built (now listed in the National Register of Historic Places).
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1900 –
Approximately 90% of the town's residents were of Czech descent.
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1913 –
Wilber Mill was rebuilt and featured electrical power.
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1957 –
Robert Brinkman and his two brothers open Better Buy's Inc. window factory in Wilber.
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1963 –
Better Buy's Inc. leaves the town of Wilber and the employees for a different Nebraska location.
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1963 –
Wilber Chamber of Commerce president, James Glaseer, holds the first stockholders' meeting to reveal plans to re-open the window factory as Wilber Manufacturing Company, Inc.
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1964 –
As a manufacturer of aluminum doors and windows, Wilber Manufacturing grows from 5 to 11 employees within six months of opening and begins shipping orders across the country.
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1964 –
Clifford Saville, along with Nancy and Frank Linhart, lifetime Wilber residents, step in as operation managers and hold the position for more than 30 years.
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1998 –
Wilber Manufacturing ownership becomes that of Wilber Development Co., Inc. a company owned by life-long Wilber resident Harley Bergmeyer.
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2000 –
Wilber Manufacturing Co. begins working with Weatherization Programs across the United States, including holding the contract for the state of Idaho's weatherization program.
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2003 –
Wilber Manufacturing Co. opens a window and door showroom and expands its window and door service to a 50-mile radius -- working with home owners, builders and developers on their window and door construction service requests.
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2003 –
Wilber Manufacturing begins marketing the craftsmanship of their portable bench designed to withstand the elements.
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2004 –
Wilber Manufacturing re-designs The Wilber Bench™ to fit a national market segment, and The Wilber Bench™ brand was born.
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2006 –
Wilber Manufacturing set up it's first national manufacturing representative to sell its bench and now has 7 representatives serving 11 states.
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2006 –
Wilber Manufacturing adds The Collapsible Wilber Picnic Table™ and The Wilber Trash Receptacle™ to its line of site amenities.
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2006 –
Wilber Manufacturing sells its replacement window and door business to focus on manufacturing and its growing line of products.
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About Wilber
Located 35 miles southwest of Lincoln, NE in Saline County, Wilber holds one of the largest Czech populations of any county in Nebraska. In over 40 years of service, Wilber Manufacturing Co. has become a major contributor to the community with the company's primary focus being aluminum and vinyl products including site amenities, awnings and other made-to-order specialty products like marquees, fencing and replacement windows. |
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Irma Ourecky, promoter of many Czech events, was given the Henry Fonda Award in 1990 by the Nebraska Tourism Foundation for her work in Wilber and across the state. In 1962 the Czechs of Wilber organized the Nebraska Czechs, Inc., in order to preserve the culture and heritage of the past. Wilber was proclaimed "Czech Capital of Nebraska" by Governor Frank Morrison in 1963. The designation was further expanded on July 10, 1987, when Wilber was named "The Czech Capital of the U.S.A." by proclamation signed by President Ronald Reagan. A large Czech Festival is held annually in Wilber. |
