Questions Abound Over School Cornerstone

Earlier this year, we posed the question: Does Dorchester have its own 'National Treasure'? That 2004 movie -- which will boast a Dec. 21 sequel -- revolved around a treasure chest hidden by U.S. leaders during the Revolutionary War. In the movie, the story's characters relied on clues from the Founding Fathers' ties to the Freemasons.

Our question arose after longtime Dorchester School employee Ronald Sehnert alerted the Times that there might be some interesting items in the Dorchester school cornerstone, located in the southeast corner of the 1927 building. According to several older Dorchester residents we spoke with, many think that some of Dorchester's founding fathers may have placed items in the cornerstone during the construction of the building.

The Times has now received some firsthand accounts regarding the school cornerstone. According to resident Don Eret, the June 2, 1927 edition of The Dorchester Star contained the following notice: "The Grand Lodge of Nebraska Ancient Free and Accepted Masons will lay the corner stone of our new school house next Friday afternoon at 2:00 pm, June third. Everybody welcome."

Eret also reports that page 3 of the June 9, 1927 edition of The Dorchester Star reports:

The cornerstone of Dorchester’s new school building was laid last Friday
afternoon by the officers of AM Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of
Nebraska. Most worshipful Grand Master Edwin D. Critan of Chardron
conducting the ceremony, assisted by a large number of Masons from neighboring
lodges and Doric Lodge No. 118 of Dorchester. The address was delivered by
Charles M. Shepherd Grand, orator of the Grand Lodge of Lincoln. The Shrine Band
of Lincoln furnished the music for the occasion. Although the weather was
threatening, there were a large number present to witness the exercises.

Eret said he doubted there is anything inside the cornerstone. However, the Times has again asked a handful of other older town residents about the issue. They concur there is a strong possibility that some items are in the cornerstone.

As we noted in our September story, the Dorchester Masons, who were extremely active in the early 1900s, met on the second floor of the building that now houses Village Hall. According to the Masons' own Web site, "the Freemasonry is the oldest and largest worldwide fraternity dedicated to the Brotherhood of Man under the Fatherhood of a Supreme Being." The organization dates back to the mid-1600s.

For centuries, Freemasonry has attracted criticism from many church officials for supposed competition with religion, and has long been the target of conspiracy theories that its members are the center of world power. It is unknown whether Dorchester still has active Freemasons in its ranks.

What is known, however, is that Dorchester residents will wait until May to see what relics, if any, were placed in the Dorchester school cornerstone 80 years ago.