By: Krista Podany - Eagle Staff
The Winnetoon Mall isn't a mall in the traditional sense.
Instead of chain stores and food courts, it is a collection of small-scale replicas and preserved buildings and store fronts along the Winnetoon boardwalk.
These storefronts recall the town's early days in the 1890s, when Winnetoon was founded as a railroad town. Though once home to more than 300 residents, Winnetoon’s population has since dwindled to fewer than 100.
But, the boardwalk still thrives as both a historical showcase and a community hub, with wildflowers sprouting between the sidewalk cracks and farm relics from early yesteryear dotting the scene.
Restoring the history- much of the credit goes to Gayle Neuhaus’ passion of history and the local historical society. Her efforts brought back landmarks like the barber shop, general store, livery stable and newspaper office. Today, many of these spaces serve as small museums, filled with antique's memorabilia from Winnetoon’s legacy and surrounding areas past.
One standout is District #58, the towns original one-room schoolhouse. Once abandoned and even occupied by livestock, it was slated to be burned down before Neuhaus rescued it. She restored the building and then complete with its original pump organ. Which had been rediscovered and purchased back and proudly on display.
The Post Office - the Heart of the town was another cornerstone Winnetoon Post Office, a one room building that served not only as a mailstop but a gathering place for neighbors.
The clerk station and historical post office boxes are still intact.
Neuhaus was the “postmistress” until her passing in August 2022.
Today, her daughter Traci Folck carries on the legacy. Alongside her husband Robert, the store reopened the space as a shop that blends history with a touch of modern charm.
Inside are the original post office boxes, antiques for sale and Winnetoon - themed T-shirts, including the quirky "Nebraska Turd Bird" design, born from a playful family challenge between Grandma Arlene and Great Uncle Barney. Her grandkids even pitch in by recreating the barnyard art that keeps customers smiling
A community market, the shop has become a gathering point once again. Locals and travelers alike stop in for handmade goods, Amish baked treats (brought in twice a week), farm fresh eggs, Kienow frozen beef, Steves Jellies food co-op of spices and natural remedies and of "tinctures and teas.”
Perhaps most unique is Folck’s line of homemade soaps and lotions.
Her interest began after receiving a gift of spearmint and rosemary scented soaps, which sparked her own research and experiments. That hobby/passion grew into a business that now supplies products to chiropractic clinics in Hartington, Creighton, Elgin and Norfolk.
Her process is deeply tied to the land, as down to earth as it gets, rendering tallow from locally raised beef and, in one case even from a bear she hunted on a trip in Vermont. With care, the fat is purified, blended with essentials oils, and after into colorful, feathered worked designs in the molds of soap designed for sensitive skin and all types. Each batch take 3-4 days to complete.
Her logo of a luscious olive branch - symbolizes peace and simplicity with the Czech word “mydlo” means soap. Reflecting both the product and the farming community it supports.
Keeping Winnetoon on the map. Thanks to Traci, her family, and the community, "its not just about soap. Its about keeping Winnetoon on the map and honoring mom’s work.”
Winnetoon Mall remains a living landmark.
Travelers stop to snap photos, collect Nebraska Passport stamps, and a step back in history. Locals stop in for fresh goods, handmade soaps by Traci and neighborly conversation.
In a village that could have faded, the boardwalk and its shop stand as proof that smalls towns still have big stories