Since 2007: The News, Events, History and People of Our Town, Dorchester, Nebraska
Monday, February 11, 2008
News Briefs: DHS Sends Five Wrestlers To State
Dorchester High School is sending five wrestlers to this week's state tourney following Saturday's district contests at Tri-County. In the 103 lb. bracket will be Jeremy Inderlied (13-8-9). The 130 lb. bracket will include Joshua Inderlied (23-9-12). Adam Kahle (28-5-10) will represent Dorchester in the 135 lb. group, while Chuck Parks (34-1-12) will be the Horns' grappler in the 215 lb. division. Lucas Apfelbeck (33-3-12) rounds out the DHS state qualifiers by earning a spot in the 285 lb. category. As a team, the DHS wrestlers finished sixth of twelve teams at the Tri-County tournament on Feb. 9. The Times congratulates Dorchester's state qualifiers and the entire DHS wrestling team. The state wrestling tournament will be held Feb. 14-16 at the Qwest Center in Omaha.
The DHS girls' basketball team is headed to the Class D-1 subdistricts at Wilber-Clatonia tomorrow (Tuesday) night. The 10-6 Lady Longhorns will face 12-5 Meridian in a 7:45 p.m. contest. The winner will advance to the 7 p.m. final on Thursday. (**UPDATE: 2/13, 10 a.m. ** -- The Lincoln Journal Star reports that in the second semifinal at Wilber-Clatonia, twins Amanda and Amber Hansel combined for 27 of Meridian’s 45 points in a 45-37 win over Dorchester.)
Dorchester High School senior Morgan Spanyers and a few of her classmates received some of the spotlight this weekend. Spanyers and seven fellow DHS students participated in Saline County's Democrat caucus on Saturday. Spanyers was quoted by the Lincoln Journal Star as saying: “There’s a lot more older people here than I expected.” After hearing about Chelsea Clinton and Michelle Obama’s visits to UNL late last week, Spanyers said she figured caucusing was a college student’s game. The caucus at Crete's Tuxedo Park yielded fewer than 300 of the county’s 3,800 registered Democrats who came to show their support for either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. That support was evenly divided. When the caucus ended, Obama had 149 votes to Clinton’s 144.
The caucus was a good experience for Ms. Spanyers and her friends. I hope they remain politically engaged. In the early 1980's, my college professor at Kearney State College required that we run as delegates to our respective county conventions. Things were so civil that the Saline County Democrats and Republicans actually took turns sharing a room at the courthouse. One note: Hillary and Barack may have split Saline County; however, Barack won the state and propelled Nebraska into the national limelight. See kids, if you hang around long enough, you too will have a candidate who is your age!
Maybe one reason turnout was so poor is that Saline Co. voters are tired of having the wool pulled over their eyes by the Democrat party and their leftist tactics. Just a thought.
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and her advisers increasingly believe that, after a series of losses, she has been boxed into a must-win position in the Ohio and Texas primaries on March 4, and she has begun reassuring anxious donors and superdelegates that the nomination is not slipping away from her, aides said on Monday.
“She has to win both Ohio and Texas comfortably, or she’s out,” said one superdelegate who has endorsed Mrs. Clinton, and who spoke on condition of anonymity to share a candid assessment.
Congratulations to the Wrestlers--it's great to have 5 going to State. GOOD LUCK to the Wrestlers and to the Girls Basketball Team in sub-districts. It was also a great win for the Boys Basketball on Friday. Go Longhorns!!! It's good to see that our young people have an interest in our government..I'm not a Democrat but support the students that went to the caucus.
Did you know that Obama's middle name is Hussain. I had know idea that I grew up in such a liberal community. WOW. Then again you are demolishing the coolest building in town because replacing is just easier than fixing.
Anyone who is interested in Nebraska politics needs to read the Leavenworth St. blog. It can be found at: http://leavenworthstreet.blogspot.com/
Here is what they say about Obama's visit to Omaha last week:
So watching Barack Hussein Obama (that's what Nebraska hero Bob Kerrey calls him, right?) in Omaha yesterday, we got the chills! First he came out to the roaring crowd, got up there and talked about HOPE! and CHANGE! and pioneers and Abraham Lincoln and beating the Redcoats at Lexington and Concord! And we were all like, "Yeah! Damn those Redcoats!" And we were pretty pumped up about this Obama guy!
And then he started getting specific, and that's when the chills returned. He talked about implemneting socialized medicine within a year of taking office. He talked about the redistribution of wealth, because those evil CEOs make more money than poor people. He talked about drug and insurance companies which have the gall to be interested in profits. And we got that chilling feeling that , "Damn, this guy is a pure socialist." The Senate's most liberal voting record? Damn straight.
I believe that the point of this story was to update the folks on the accomplishements of our young men and women at DHS and to wish them luck in there upcoming sporting events. Not to delve into Presidential politics. Yes Ms. Spanyers and her friends attended the Caucus and that is to be commended and it is good to get young people involved in the decisions, and become a cog in the gear that runs our nation but that so give them a pat on the back. Everyone is entitled to their view on the '08 campaing but this story is not the forum for airing out why one canidate is better than the other. It is to wish the Girls BB team good luck at Sub-districts and the wrestlers good luck at State. And to commend Ms. Spanyers and Co. for taking part in their civil duty as voting citizens of the United States.
When it comes to Barak "your mama" Obama, I think we need to remember we need to elect experienced leaders, not motivational speakers. Good luck at state DHS wrestlers.
It appears that this is the perfect forum for commenting on the election as one of the bulleted items pertains to the caucus. I'm glad the Villager published the political comments. You are truly performing a public service during this critical time. By the way, the "your mama" comment is tasteless unless you are a Southerner!
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Main Street Dorchester in 1906 with ponies from Col. Thompson's Elmwood Pony Farm.
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Dorchester Cooperative feed mill fire in the 1950s.
Dorchester: A Good Little Family Town
Dorchester, Nebraska (est. population 630) is located in northern Saline county. Close in proximity to Interstate 80, Dorchester is only 25 minutes from the state capital of Lincoln (est. population 250,000) and about 55 minutes from Omaha (metro population 725,000).
Dorchester's median resident age is 37 years. In 2005, Dorchester had a median family income of approximately $35,600. The median house value was about $63,000. About 95 percent of Dorchester residents commute to work via Interstate and highways.
The village has a quality public school, which received a $4.1 million expansion and modernization in 2008; it offers a small classrooms and individualized attention. Total enrollment of grades K-12 is around 230-250 students.
Ancestries of the Dorchester area are primarily German (42.4%), Czech (24.9%), Irish (12.5%), English (5.4%), and Dutch (4.9%).
Dorchester's West Mills, 1910. The mill, built by some of the area's first settlers, sat on the West Fork Big Blue River and was completed in 1864.
Dorchester-Area Job Listings
Live in Dorchester and still find a career in almost any sector. See today's latest Dorchster-area job listings by clicking here.
Dorchesters's Elmwood Pony Farm and W.J. Thompson, auctioneer, in 1912.
Join Dorchester Community Foundation Today
Want to make Dorchester an even better place to call home? Join the Dorchester Community Foundation. The Foundation and its fund have already spurred several community improvements, such as the city park renovation and the new 'Welcome to Dorchester' signs. To donate, simply click here.
Dorchester Historical Facts
* On July 4, 1871, the railroad reached Dorchester.
* Incorporated in 1881, Dorchester's population grew from 200 to 500 by 1882.
* In 1882, Dorchester had 90 buildings, 35 of which were businesses or public facilities. Brick buildings lined both sides of Washington Avenue for two blocks.
* Dorchester's longest-running newspaper was The Dorchester Star, which was published until the late 1940s.
* By 1889, Dorchester's population is said to have reached 800, while the town housed an opera house, a two-story brick schoolhouse with a bell tower, and four churches.
* By the 1910s, Dorchester had electricity, a water tower and a fire department.
* Dorchester's main arteries, Highways 6 and 33, were graveled in the 1940s.
* Dorchester's first irrigation well was drilled on Chris Weber's farm and rural electrification was finished following WWII.
Dorchester's Main Street, 1908, looking north.
A Village with History
Dorchester is one of the "alphabet towns" on the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad line built west from Lincoln. The town site was selected for its pleasant location in the northern part of Saline County, about eight miles west of Crete. This situation is an attractive one, being on the level prairie land, midway between the West Blue River and Turkey Creek. The first named stream is three miles north, and the latter about the same distance south from the town. Dorchester was platted in 1870 and incorporated in 1881. The name "Dorchester" came from either for a suburb of Boston by that name or a town in England. No one is sure. Two of the very first settlers were James Seely and Edward McIntyre, who both made Dorchester their permanent home.
Dorchester's Methodist Church circa 1889-90, shortly after the building was moved from Pleasant Hill.
Turkey Creek stock farm, circa 1885, south of Dorchester.
Dorchester: In The Beginning
Here is a look at Dorchester around 1890, less than a decade after its official incorporation, as documented by Andreas' History of the State of Nebraska:
* POPULATION: "About 300, and is made up of a substantial and progressive class of citizens, who are moral and industrious. ... The town grew but very little until the year 1879, for the reason that Pleasant Hill, on Turkey Creek, a short distance south, was the county seat and naturally drew a trade for quite a large scope of country."
* BUSINESS: "The business and professional interests of the town are represented by three general merchandise stores, two drug, one grocery, one furniture, two hardware, and two millinery stores, one bank, two restaurants, two hotels, three livery stables, a post office, one newspaper office, two elevators, two lumber yards, two coal yards, two blacksmith shops, two lawyers and four physicians."
* SCHOOL: "The schoolhouse is a good one. The schoolhouse was built in 1872, since which time the public schools have been continually kept up. The present schoolhouse is 24' x 40' in size, two stories high. The school is graded and consists of three departments. The house is found too small, and arrangements will soon be made to increase its size."
* CHURCHES: "There are three substantial churches."
* HOMES: "The residence portion of the village is made up of neat houses of different styles of architecture, but none of them very large."
* NEWSPAPER: "The Dorchester Star, which was established August 21, 1881, by H. C. Bittenbender, who edited it until January 19, 1882, when he sold it to Ryerson & Bullock, the present proprietors. The Star is a bright weekly paper, five-column quarto, in size, and is Republican in politics."
Portrait of three boys in costume on a dirt road in Dorchester, early 1900s. One is dressed as a Uncle Sam, while the other two are dressed as Native Americans, complete with feathered headdresses, fringed clothing and bows. Photo by Russell Freidell.
Dorchester Homes For Sale
Dorchester offers friendly, small-community living for families and individuals. The cost of living here is one of the nation's most affordable, while the quality of life is tremendous. Click here for the latest Dorchester area real estate listings.
The "famous Dorchester race car" from the 1930s, built and raced by Henry Sehnert, the village's longtime Ford auto dealer.
Dorchester Items On eBay
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1909 Dorchester baseball team.
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The Old Dorchester School used from 1890-1927.
Current Dorchester Demographics
Click here for the most up-to-date information on Dorchester, including information and statistics on our residents, housing, school, businesses and climate.
Dorchester's train depot as featured in a postcard from the early 1900s.
Today's city hall as it appeared circa 1920, when it housed the Citizens State Bank, post office and Masonic Hall (upstairs).
Gathering at Dorchester's fairgrounds, 1908
TIMES POLL: What Issue Is Most Important When Voting For School Board Members?
RESULTS: Student Behavior/Perfomance -- 48.1%; Teacher/Staff Evaluation -- 16.3%; Cooperation With Village -- 15.4%; New Spending -- 14.4%; School Renovation -- 5.8% (104 votes)
Freeouf's Garage & Livery of Dorchester, circa 1925
Dorchester's Charles Havlat was the very last U.S. soldier killed in action in the European operations of WWII. Private Havlat was shot May 7, 1945, while on patrol in Bohemia, by German soldiers who were unaware a ceasefire had been declared.
TIMES POLL: Bring Back The Summertime Street Dances?
RESULTS: Yes -- 78.4%; No -- 21.6% (102 readers surveyed.)
The Dorchester telephone building, which housed operators and switchboards, as it appeared in the 1920s.
TIMES POLL: When Do You Get In Touch With Old DHS Classmates?
RESULTS: Alumni Tournaments -- 62.7%; Stay in touch regularly -- 18.6%; Homecoming -- 8.5%; Christmas/New Years -- 6.8%; Fourth of July -- 3.4%. (59 votes)
Dorchester Methodist Church around the turn of the 20th century
Dorchester's First Baptist Church (year unknown)
TIMES POLL: What Is Dorchester's Best Quality?
RESULTS: The people of Dorchester -- 32.6%; School -- 18.5%; Close to larger towns -- 17.4%; Cost of living -- 16.3%; Other -- 9.8%; Organizations and businesses -- 5.4%. (92 readers surveyed.)
Dorchester Christian Church, circa 1908
Depot, telegraph office and elevator at Dorchester, circa 1910
Dorchester's Elmwood Pony Farm, owned by W.J. Thompson, 1912
TIMES POLL: What Is The Most Positive Development In Dorchester Lately?
RESULTS: City Park Renovation - 40.2%; More Civic Participation - 22%; Main Street Improvements - 13.6%; Growth Of Co-op - 13.6%; Nerud Field Project - 10.6%. (132 votes.)
Dorchester's July 4th G.A.R. parade, 1908
Dorchester's two-story depot, built in the 1870s, housed the station agent and his family upstairs
TIMES POLL: Which Era Had the Top Male Athletic Talent?
Dorchester High School is sending five wrestlers to this week's state tourney following Saturday's district contests at Tri-County. In the 103 lb. bracket will be Jeremy Inderlied (13-8-9). The 130 lb. bracket will include Joshua Inderlied (23-9-12). Adam Kahle (28-5-10) will represent Dorchester in the 135 lb. group, while Chuck Parks (34-1-12) will be the Horns' grappler in the 215 lb. division. Lucas Apfelbeck (33-3-12) rounds out the DHS state qualifiers by earning a spot in the 285 lb. category. As a team, the DHS wrestlers finished sixth of twelve teams at the Tri-County tournament on Feb. 9. The Times congratulates Dorchester's state qualifiers and the entire DHS wrestling team. The state wrestling tournament will be held Feb. 14-16 at the Qwest Center in Omaha. 
The caucus was a good experience for Ms. Spanyers and her friends. I hope they remain politically engaged. In the early 1980's, my college professor at Kearney State College required that we run as delegates to our respective county conventions. Things were so civil that the Saline County Democrats and Republicans actually took turns sharing a room at the courthouse. One note: Hillary and Barack may have split Saline County; however, Barack won the state and propelled Nebraska into the national limelight. See kids, if you hang around long enough, you too will have a candidate who is your age!
ReplyDeleteMaybe one reason turnout was so poor is that Saline Co. voters are tired of having the wool pulled over their eyes by the Democrat party and their leftist tactics. Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteThis from the New York Times:
ReplyDeleteSenator Hillary Rodham Clinton and her advisers increasingly believe that, after a series of losses, she has been boxed into a must-win position in the Ohio and Texas primaries on March 4, and she has begun reassuring anxious donors and superdelegates that the nomination is not slipping away from her, aides said on Monday.
“She has to win both Ohio and Texas comfortably, or she’s out,” said one superdelegate who has endorsed Mrs. Clinton, and who spoke on condition of anonymity to share a candid assessment.
Nice going, boys. Hard work will get you everywhere.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting your presidential poll. It's quite surprising to see Barack Obama leading in rural Nebraska. Wow!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to the Wrestlers--it's great to have 5 going to State. GOOD LUCK to the Wrestlers and to the Girls Basketball Team in sub-districts. It was also a great win for the Boys Basketball on Friday. Go Longhorns!!! It's good to see that our young people have an interest in our government..I'm not a Democrat but support the students that went to the caucus.
ReplyDeleteDid you know that Obama's middle name is Hussain. I had know idea that I grew up in such a liberal community. WOW. Then again you are demolishing the coolest building in town because replacing is just easier than fixing.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who is interested in Nebraska politics needs to read the Leavenworth St. blog. It can be found at: http://leavenworthstreet.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteHere is what they say about Obama's visit to Omaha last week:
So watching Barack Hussein Obama (that's what Nebraska hero Bob Kerrey calls him, right?) in Omaha yesterday, we got the chills! First he came out to the roaring crowd, got up there and talked about HOPE! and CHANGE! and pioneers and Abraham Lincoln and beating the Redcoats at Lexington and Concord! And we were all like, "Yeah! Damn those Redcoats!" And we were pretty pumped up about this Obama guy!
And then he started getting specific, and that's when the chills returned. He talked about implemneting socialized medicine within a year of taking office. He talked about the redistribution of wealth, because those evil CEOs make more money than poor people. He talked about drug and insurance companies which have the gall to be interested in profits. And we got that chilling feeling that , "Damn, this guy is a pure socialist." The Senate's most liberal voting record? Damn straight.
I believe that the point of this story was to update the folks on the accomplishements of our young men and women at DHS and to wish them luck in there upcoming sporting events. Not to delve into Presidential politics. Yes Ms. Spanyers and her friends attended the Caucus and that is to be commended and it is good to get young people involved in the decisions, and become a cog in the gear that runs our nation but that so give them a pat on the back. Everyone is entitled to their view on the '08 campaing but this story is not the forum for airing out why one canidate is better than the other. It is to wish the Girls BB team good luck at Sub-districts and the wrestlers good luck at State. And to commend Ms. Spanyers and Co. for taking part in their civil duty as voting citizens of the United States.
ReplyDeleteSo congratualtions to All!!!
When it comes to Barak "your mama" Obama, I think we need to remember we need to elect experienced leaders, not motivational speakers. Good luck at state DHS wrestlers.
ReplyDeleteIt appears that this is the perfect forum for commenting on the election as one of the bulleted items pertains to the caucus. I'm glad the Villager published the political comments. You are truly performing a public service during this critical time. By the way, the "your mama" comment is tasteless unless you are a Southerner!
ReplyDelete