Before there was Warren Buffett, there was Byron Reed. Durham Museum's Byron Reed Collection: A rare peek at Omaha's treasure A vault in the far corner of the museum's lower level is home to some 9,000 historical items collected by one of city’s founding fathers. By Courtney Brummer-Clark / World-Herald staff writer Sunday, November 6, 2016 Byron Reed There are no local schools named after him. No streets in Omaha bear his name. No statues celebrate his contributions. One of the founding fathers of Omaha, Reed performed the original survey for the City of Omaha and established the first real estate agency in the Nebraska Territory, a local firm that still specializes in property management and investments. He was one of the richest men of his time, and he donated land for the first city library and what is now Prospect Hill Cemetery. Perhaps his greatest contribution to Omaha resides in the far corner of the lower level of the Durham Museum: 9,000 historical documents, rare books and coins housed in a secure vault that make up the Byron Reed Collection. While several pieces — mostly coins — are on display at the downtown museum, the majority of the collection’s pieces are hidden away from the general public because of space constraints and the need to provide security and preservation. Only scholars and researchers are given access to the items with special permission from the museum, so The World-Herald today is providing a rare peek into the vault. Owned by the City of Omaha, the collection was reduced from 17,000 pieces by a controversial auction in 1996. The three-day auction garnered the city roughly $5.8 million. Of that, $3 million was pledged to the museum. The rest was put into the city coffers. There is no way to estimate the current worth of the collection. Just 10 pieces of it have been appraised at almost $5 million. The items include rare books such as a copy of Edgar Allan Poe’s only long-form novel and the “Memoirs of Thomas Jefferson,” documents written by Catherine de’ Medici and explorer William Clark, and coins dating back to the time of Emperors Julius Caesar and Caesar Augustus. After years of inventorying and cataloging the collection, curator Carrie Meyer said museum staff members have begun digitizing images of each item for the public to eventually see on a website or in special museum displays. Grover Cleveland letter about taxes. July 20, 1894. Who was Byron Reed? Reed, a descendant of a Puritan family that immigrated to the Colonies in 1634, was born in Genesee County, New York, on March 12, 1829. His family later moved to Wisconsin and, at age 20, he went to work as a telegraph operator in Ohio. Reed never advanced past an eighth-grade education, but he taught himself Morse code and how to play the violin. He eventually became a correspondent for the New York Tribune, writing anonymously on the “Border Ruffian” wars that had to do with slavery in the state of Kansas that preceded the Kansas- Nebraska Act of 1854. “He is staunchly anti-slavery and is writing anonymously as such in Kansas,” Meyer said. “Somehow his and another correspondent’s identities are discovered and a lynch mob sets out after them. That is how he was chased into Nebraska Territory. The other guy didn’t make it.” In 1855, at age 25, Reed settled in Omaha. He taught himself land surveying and joined the Omaha Claim Club in order to buy and sell land. In 1856 he established the first real estate agency in Omaha (the Byron Reed Co. is still in existence today), and went on to became the largest landowner west of the Missouri, one of the richest men in the region. In 1861, at 32, he married 15-year-old Melissa Perkins. They had two children: Anna Maria Reed and Abraham Lincoln Reed. Reed served as auditor of the first First National Bank of Omaha, president of the local assay commission, Omaha city clerk, 1860-67; deputy Douglas County clerk, 1861-63; and county clerk, 1863-65. He served as an Omaha city councilman in 1871 and 1872 before getting out of politics. “He was a very private person,” Meyer said. “In some ways he straddled the line as an upper-crust founding father and the early Joe Schmoe of Omaha. He was very wealthy and connected, but he wasn’t well-known and seemed to prefer it that way. Maybe that’s why you don’t hear about him like you do with the Dodges and other leaders of the time.” In 1870 he started collecting items of historical significance, possibly enlisting others to travel and make the purchases. Reed died on June 6, 1891, at 62. He was worth $2.5 million — which translates to about $62 million today. In death he bequeathed his 17,000-piece collection to the City of Omaha. The land where his mansion sat, at what is now 25th and Dodge Streets, was later donated to Father Edward Flanagan and became the first Home for Boys. “He obviously enjoyed collecting and he was collecting for himself,” Meyer said. “But he had the foresight to see more people could benefit from this collection. I don’t know that anyone else would have thought to preserve such a collection for the city’s identity and not just their own interest.” Highlights of the rarest of the rare The Byron Reed Collection at Omaha’s Durham Museum boasts more than 9,000 pieces, including rare books, documents and coins. Because of museum space restrictions and for the security and preservation of the pieces, many items are not put on display for the public. Durham curator Carrie Meyer compiled a list of the 20 rarest items in the collection that the general public doesn’t see. Here are a handful: Photographs by Kent Sievers, The World-Herald “The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket” published in 1839 This is the only complete novel written by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. The tale recounts the adventures of young Arthur Gordon Pym, a stowaway on a whaling ship. Poe called it “a very silly book.” In the years after its publication, “The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket” became an influential work, notably for Herman Melville and Jules Verne, and has been called one of the greatest novels written in English. 4th edition King James Bible, published in 1634 In 1604, King James I of England commissioned his own version of the Bible in order to counteract previous translations he deemed inaccurate. He convened 47 scholars to translate and write a new version. By the 18th century the King James Bible had become the unchallenged English translation of the Bible used in Anglican and English Protestant churches. Thomas Jefferson letter to John Thompson Callendar, Sept. 6, 1799 In the run up to the 1800 election, the war of words between the Federalist and Democratic-Republican political parties got increasingly contentious. This particular letter from Thomas Jefferson was to one of his political pamphleteers who routinely criticized the Adams administration. Jefferson says looks forward to the newest installment to be published in the press. Édouard René de Laboulaye, Oct. 15, 1875 This is an early example of a press release from Édouard Laboulaye to the editor of the Richmond Daily Whig newspaper, where he announces plans for the Union Franco-Americaine to erect a “colossal statue of Independence.” This was actually the first public announcement of France’s 100th anniversary gift to the United States: the Statue of Liberty. The second page of the letter shows a rendering of the intended statue; a dedication ceremony was held in October 1886. The Genuine Book, published in 1813 When George, Prince of Wales, realized the only way that he could pay off his debts was to marry and sire an heir, he agreed to marry his cousin Caroline of Brunswick. George did not find his new bride attractive, so once she had produced a child he informed her that she could do as she liked, as he would not be having “relations” with her again. Rejected by George, she went to live at Blackheath, London, where her behavior prompted what a Royal Commission called the “Delicate Investigation.” This volume is the entire investigation. Only four authentic copies of this book, including this one, are thought to have survived. 75 cent bank note, Republic of Texas, 1843 The Republic of Texas was an independent country from March 2, 1836– Feb. 19, 1846. The country issued Treasury notes to help fund the government. Their redemption was closely controlled to prevent fraud, and redeemed notes were cancelled, then burned. While there are many examples of these notes, this 75 cent Exchequer Bill change note is the only one of its specific denomination known to still exist. “Memoirs of Thomas Jefferson,” published in 1830 These books were never formally published but a small number were bound for review. The volumes were basically a libelous attack against the president, made to appear as if written in Jefferson’s own hand, and intended to undermine Democratic-Republican Party in the upcoming election. This plot failed, and James Madison, Jefferson’s Secretary of State, was elected the fourth president. Six other copies are thought to exist. A note inside the cover of the Reed collection copy says a lawyer’s review of 20-30 pages “found, on the average, a libel to every page." Massachusetts Bay Silver, 1652 6-pence, 3-pence and Shilling These coins were minted in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, founded in 1630, to standardize the currency being used for trade.