Home For Sale: 709 Franklin Ave.

Dorchester's real estate market remains strong despite the days of easy, cheap money -- following nearly years of money printing and massive government spending -- are coming to a close. 

Many homes in large cities, as well as most acreages, have become unaffordable for the average buyer. Dorchester looks even more appealing now to most folks in the market for a home. (That's fine, we say. Let someone else pay those massive property tax bills.)

Consider what Dorchester has to offer:

• TOP-NOTCH SCHOOL: A newer K-12 school with smaller class sizes and some of the state's best educators. This means individualized attention for your child.

• A SAFE AND FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE COMMUNITY: With an upgraded water and sewer system, and a surplus of funding at Village Hall.

• LOWER COSTS: Affordable living costs with lower property taxes compared to surrounding school districts.

• KEY BUSINESSES AND PRIME LOCATION: Headquarters for one of the nation's largest agri-businesses (Farmers Cooperative) and situated on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail line and along two major highways.

• GEOGRAPHIC ADVANTAGE: A quick drive to employers in Crete, Milford, Friend, and Seward. Just 30 minutes to Lincoln and 12 minutes to I-80. Yet all the advantages of a small, close-knit community.

Here's a Dorchester home -- in need of some exterior work -- that just hit the market:

709 Franklin Ave.: AFFORDABLE! 3 bedrooms, 2 baths with a full basement and is located across from park and splash pad in Dorchester. See the full listing.

Happy 142nd Birthday, Dorchester!

Today, June 23, marks the 142nd anniversary of Dorchester's incorporation as a village. Happy birthday, Dorchester!

Because Dorchester's founding is a big deal, here's a look at how our community gained its official status 142 years ago:

• As Dorchester's population grew to nearly 300 by the early 1880s, it was necessary to establish a formal system of government. On June 23, 1881, a petition was presented to and granted by the Saline County commissioners for the incorporation of the village.

• The following residents were appointed by the commissioners as village trustees: D.G. Panter, John Oberlies, N.B. Alley, Thomas Jarrett, and W.H. Pallett. At the same time, C.F. Thomas, J.H. Clark, and M.O. Alley were named village clerk, treasurer and marshal, respectively.

• On July 6, 1881, the first meeting of the Dorchester Village Board was held.  At this meeting, the trustees designated that the first Monday of each month would be the regular meeting time for the board, which is still adhered to today. Four other ordinances were approved at this first meeting of the Dorchester village board. They were:

• Ordinance 1: Regulating the sales of intoxicating liquors in the village;

• Ordinance 2: Imposing a license tax on dogs in the village;

• Ordinance 3: Levying a five mills to the dollar valuation taxes for the year 1881; and

• Ordinance 4: Providing for the grading and guttering of streets and alleys, as well as construction of wooden sidewalks.

May the next 142 years bring our town joy, purpose, and prosperity!

NEWS ROUND-UP: Girls Basketball Golf Tourney, July 29

Girls Basketball Fundraiser, July 29: Looking for an excuse to hit the links? The DHS girls basketball golf tourney is set for July 29 at the Crete Country Club. The format is a two-person scramble at the cost of $120 per team, which includes a cart and lunch. To register, call Brandon Bruha, DHS girls basketball coach, at (402) 326-3858.

Ribeye Sandwich Dinner at Legion, July 3: As you prepare your plans for Independence Day, keep this in mind -- the Dorchester American Legion Bar and Grill will be serving ribeye steak sandwiches on Monday, July 3, starting at 6 p.m. This will be a well-attended event the day before our nation's birthday, so get there early.

Dorchester Homes Selling Fast: The drought affecting Dorchester hasn't been limited to just precipitation. There have been few homes for sale in the village over the past several weeks. The few that have gone up were sold in less than a few hours, according to activity on Realtor.com.

Water Park Hours: In case you haven't noticed, it's hot outside. Get cooled off at the Dorchester water park in our very own city park. The daily splash pad hours are 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

Tabor Hall Burger Bash, June 24: This Saturday, June 24, Tabor Hall is hosting its very own Burger Bash. Food and drinks will be served starting at 5:30 p.m. Music will be by Route 66 from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. And there's no cover charge.

Longhorn Youth Football Camp Is Coming Up: On July 5-6, Dorchester Public Schools will host its regionally famous youth football camp for kids going into grades 3 though 8. This is a big deal. There's still time to regis.ter your child. Contact Coach Brent Zoubek at (402) 946-2781 or (402) 418-1019

FLASHBACK: Old School Cornerstone Held Amazing Artifacts

Fifteen years ago -- during the spring and summer of 2008 -- the old Dorchester school building was being torn down and the current school building was being constructed.  

Meanwhile, Dorchester residents and Dorchester Public School alumni were anxiously awaiting to find out what, if anything, was hidden in the the 1927 school cornerstone. (There was plenty of town debate, you may recall.)

Two things were known for certain: The cornerstone had been resting in place for more than 80 years in the southeast corner of the old school; and when the cornerstone was laid in the 1920s, it was a ceremonious event for the Dorchester area community.  

In fact, 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 p.m., June third. Everybody welcome."

A later report in June 1927 by The Dorchester Star also mentioned: "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."

Fast-forward more than 80 years to May 2008, when the cornerstone was carefully removed. It turned out there was indeed something inside -- a true town treasure.

When the cornerstone was opened, with dozens of onlookers watching, volunteers found items from Dorchester's past sealed inside a metal container.  

Included in the metal box were newspapers from Dorchester, Lincoln and Omaha; autographed pictures of the DHS Class of 1928; materials pertaining to Dorchester's Masonic Lodge; and information regarding a handful of Dorchester-area citizens who resorted to legal tactics in an attempt to prevent the construction of the 1927 school. (Even then there were those who opposed progress.)

The items were on display at the 2008 Dorchester Alumni Banquet.

The photos below are from the cornerstone opening. Enjoy this glimpse back at the cornerstone opening of 2008.

Community Garage Sale Weekend Is June 16-17

It's garage sale season! 

Dorchester is once again planning its Community Garage Sale Weekend this Friday and Saturday, June 16 and 17. 

If you're hosting a garage sale, contact the village office (402-946-3201) to be put on the official listing of sales in and around town. 

Maps will be available now at Village Hall.

Event organizers say the garage sale weekend is the perfect opportunity for residents who want to save some money on kids' clothes and other items, and for those who need some extra income in this inflation-ridden economy spurred by federal spending over the past three years.

Be sure to get a bright and early start.  

Shoppers will be out in full force.

Looking Back: Johnson's Texaco Garage And Gas Station

Imagine this: You're living during World War II and you're one of the fortunate ones who is not serving overseas.  

Gasoline is rationed across America, but today is your day for a fill-up.  

What do you do if you're in Dorchester? 

One option is Roy Johnson's Texaco Service Station, which operated about seven decades ago in our village.

Sharon Tesar Johnson‎ shared this photo with us on our Facebook page. She pointed out that the station was a longtime business in Dorchester.  

She added that Roy Johnson and his brother Bill ran this family business.

"It was located in the west part of town, close to the railroad tracks," Tesar Johnson writes.

Let us know if you remember this former Dorchester business.

Also, if you have photos of Dorchester businesses of the past, email them to us at dorchester.times@gmail.com. And be sure to tell us any history about the business that we should share with readers.

Dorchester Cruise Night Is June 12

Dorchester knows how to host a cruise night. (Need proof? Check out these cruise night images from Dorchester's first COVID-19 cruise a few years ago.)

On Monday evening, June 12, another cruise night (and show-and-shine event) will be held on Dorchester's main street, kicking off around 5:30 p.m. and taking place as long as cruisers see fit.

The event is being promoted by the Dorchester American Legion Bar and Grill.

The Legion will be open to the public, as usual on Monday evenings, serving liver and onions, as well as pulled pork and beverages.

Those with classic cars, trucks, and tractors -- and those who appreciate them -- won't want to miss this event.

Looking Back: Dorchester's Main Street -- East Side

Throughout the last 16 years, readers have sent the Dorchester Times photos and postcards of Dorchester's main street (Washington Avenue) as it appeared at the turn of last century. Almost all of these photos captured images of the west side of main street, where the majority of businesses have been housed over the past 150 years.

A while back, we received a real treat. The Times was emailed a postcard providing a rare look at the east side of main street from sometime around 1900.

The photos accompanying this story (click on them to get a better view) are of the Longanecker Building, destroyed by fire in 1973. 

The majority of Times readers don't recall the structure. The Longanecker Building, for the record, stood where the Tyser's Welding and Repair stands today.

During the era this photo was taken, Meacham Hardware occupied the northern-most, ground-level section of the Longanecker Building. Dr. Panter's offices occupied the second story directly above. C.W. Crain Insurance and Colson's Cafe were next door. 

Also in the building were Joy and Edward's Grocery, the telephone office, and a dentist's office.

This isn't the first time the Times has published rare photos of Dorchester's east side.

In 2015, we gave readers a look inside the store front window's of Meacham's.

In 2009, we offered readers a glimpse of a "traffic jam" in 1906. (By 1906, most of the trees had been removed, so we are dating today's photo a couple years earlier.)

Below are close-ups of the Longanecker Building from the photo shared with us today. 

In the first photo, notice the awning with Meacham Hardware Co. stitched on the front. Also notice the wooden structure immediately to the north. (Today, that is the Eastside Bar and Grill.)

In the second photo, notice the retail advertising on the south side of the building, as well as the ladder-like structures in front of main street's trees, used most likely as holding stations for horses. Electricity had obviously arrived in Dorchester, so this is post-1890s.

Finally, we've included a photo from the 1930s, that showed how the east side of main street had changed about 25 years later. Notice the trees had been removed. And the advertising was constantly being updated.