Dorchester Times: November 2010

Friday, November 19, 2010

Arnold Bobolz Passes Away Nov. 10

Former Dorchester resident Arnold G. Bobolz, 89, died Nov. 10, 2010, in Lincoln. Mr. Bobolz was born Nov. 9, 1921, in Primghar, Iowa, to Gustav and Louise (Tomm) Bobolz. He served in the United States Army during World War II and was awarded the Purple Heart and four Bronze Stars. He was a member of the American Legion and served as district chaplain.

He was a long-time member of the United Methodist Church in Dorchester and was active in the church choir.

Survivors include his wife Jean Bobolz, Lincoln, formerly of Dorchester; sons and daughter-in-law Larry and Peg Blake, Ashland, Ore., and Lance Bobolz, Fort Worth, Texas; daughters and sons-in-law Peggy and Ken Krasser, Beaver Crossing, and Brenda and Dennis McKay, Avondale, Ariz.; eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Service was Nov. 15, 2010, at Christ United Methodist Church, Lincoln. Memorials may be made to the Dorchester United Methodist Church or the Dorchester American Legion.

Monday, November 15, 2010

OPEN FORUM: November 2010

The Times' Open Forum gives our readers their chance to say something, report breaking news, fire off a complaint, praise a fellow area resident, or simply ask a question. Any topic is fair game, although the Times' comment policy still applies. Keep it clean; keep it civil.

The Times is the perfect forum to air your thoughts, news tips, announcements, complaints and concerns. With hundreds visiting this site each day, your comment will get noticed.

The Open Forum is also a great place to find out what old friends are up to, get advice, share and find information, and let the Times' staff know what you'd like to see on this community Web site.

Go ahead and sound off. We are listening. And so are hundreds of others.

Phony Cop Pulls Over Woman In Dorchester

Maybe Dorchester has a police officer in training.The Saline County Sheriff's Office says a phony police officer pulled over a woman near Dorchester and searched her vehicle. The Associated Press is reporting that the sheriff's office says the woman reported that she was pulled over on Nov. 5 while driving on U.S. Highway 6 near Nebraska Highway 33.

The woman, a student at Doane College, says the man was driving a dark vehicle that had a gold stripe on the side and an emergency light on the top. The man was wearing a black, police-style uniform. She told the sheriff's office that she agreed to let the "officer" search her vehicle, then he let her go. No arrest has been reported.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Another View Of Dorchester's Proud Past

The Times has located yet another old picture of Dorchester's proud past. This photo offers Times readers yet another view of our main street (Washington Avenue) and its businesses as they appeared around 1900.

The picture featured here is on a postcard currently on auction at Ebay.com.

Our staff historians believe the focal point of the photo is Freidell's Grocery and Dry Goods Store and the Abe Martin Drug Store, or perhaps the Kenney Cafe.

The photo, shot by Russell Freidell, clearly show the upper-most structure of the buildings read "Ireland" -- likely an owner or architect. It is unknown when those portions were removed. Those who wish to view the postcard or bid on the item, currently priced at $12, may do so simply by clicking here.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Jensen, Karl Sent To Village Board; Pracheil Re-Elected

Election Day ushered in two new village board members, as voters decided to send newcomers Joyce Karl and Todd Jensen to Village Hall. Former board member Dean Pracheil was re-elected, beating fourth-place finisher Kevin Olson by six votes.

The results show that the electorate was hungry for a new direction, said several voters. Pro-paving supporters said the addition of Jensen and Karl could encourage current board members to take a more serious look at paving more Dorchester streets.

The new board will convene in January.

Here are the election results, according to the Saline County clerk's office:

Kevin Olson - 66
Caroll Schnell - 54
Joyce Karl - 81
Todd Jensen - 77
Dean Pracheil - 72
Zech Williams - 64

Monday, November 1, 2010

SPECIAL REPORT: Nov. 2 Election Will Determine Future Of Dorchester

Tomorrow, Nov. 2, is Election Day. Despite all the talk of the national races, there is also a lot at stake in tomorrow's Dorchester's Village Board election. In fact, the results of our local election could very well determine the progress and quality of life in Dorchester -- or lack thereof -- over the next decade.

The polls open at 8 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. tomorrow.

Six town residents are vying for three seats on the Dorchester Village Board.

Kevin Olson
Caroll Schnell
Joyce Karl
Todd Jensen
Dean Pracheil
Zech Williams

Sources tell the Times that at least three (Olson, Karl and Jensen) of the six challengers strongly want to consider paving more Dorchester streets and take a more aggressive policy on blighted properties in town. (Candidates should feel free to leave their position statements on the "comments" section of this this post.)

Tomorrow's elections could drastically shift the composition of the Village Board. Currently, two of the five board members staunchly oppose paving, while only one publicly supports it. The other two board members appear to be undecided. The addition of two or three pro-paving candidates will likely give the pro-paving supporters a decisive majority at Village Hall.

Earlier this year, the Times conducted a non-scientific online opinion poll that found that roughly 82% (out of 167 votes) of readers say they want to consider paving. Approximately 13% of readers would rather see more gravel applied to the town's roads. About 4% want nothing done. Only one vote per IP address was allowed.

The Times has also been told that tomorrow's elections could also impact the direction the town takes in working with the Farmers Cooperative (the town's largest employer), as well the hiring of village employees.

Developing...

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 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.

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: 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."