Dorchester Times: NEWS ROUND-UP: Cerny Resigns From Village Board, New Homes Going Up, Graduation Date Set

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

NEWS ROUND-UP: Cerny Resigns From Village Board, New Homes Going Up, Graduation Date Set

Cerny Resigns From Village Board: Thomas Cerny, chairman of the Dorchester Village Board of Trustees, has stepped down from his position due to health concerns. Cerny, a longtime and active volunteer in the community and in organizations such as the Dorchester American Legion, was elected to the village board most recently in 2018. Last year, he announced he was battling a resurgence of cancer. No word yet on who will replace Cerny since board minutes are not posted to the village government's website. Here's a heartfelt salute to Tom Cerny for his dedication and service to his community.

DHS Graduation Ceremony Set For June 19: Dorchester Public School recently announced that graduation for DHS' Class of 2020 will take place Friday, June 19, at 6:30 p.m. Social distancing and other safety protocols will be in place, and the gym will be allowed to fill to only 25% capacity. For those who cannot or should not attend in person, the ceremonies will be broadcast live on the school's online streaming service.

DPS Principal Moving On: Speaking of school news, it was brought to the Times' attention that Ade Allen, Dorchester Public School principal, is departing the school after eight years at DPS for new career opportunities. In a social media post, Allen wrote: "These years have been full of friendships, hard work, support, laughs, challenges and love. We have so many amazing memories to take with us that we will forever cherish. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all you have done for our family. We will miss you all!"

More New Homes Going Up In Dorchester: For those who haven't yet seen the construction on Dorchester's north side, another new home is under construction. This home, which will lie north of 12th Street, will be the first home in Dorchester's newly annexed division. This won't be the only home built in 2020, according to several sources. A new home is also going up on Dorchester's east side, as well as south of the highway on Whitmar Ave. Ironically, these are the same building sites the Times notified the public about just a couple of years ago. Last year, Dorchester saw the construction of two new homes -- the first new construction in several years. We predict small town living will only grow more trendy in coming months and years ahead.

3 comments:

AnonymousJune 2, 2020 at 8:42 PM
Thank You Tom for all you have done for Dorchester!
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AnonymousJune 6, 2020 at 7:07 AM
Thanks, Tom. Your leadership will be missed.
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Don HoffmanJune 22, 2020 at 9:34 AM
Thanks,Tom, for your hard work and dedication to the Village. Your leadership will be missed.
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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."