NEWS ROUND-UP: DHS Volleyball Makes Case For Top-10 Ranking

 

DHS Volleyball Sweeps No. 8 Osceola: Dorchester's Class D-2 volleyball team convincingly beat Class D-2's No. 8 Osceola Lady Bulldogs in three straight sets Tuesday night. In a contest held at the Dorchester gym, the Orange and Black Attack looked sharp, dominating Osceola (10-2) most of the contest. The DHS ladies are now 10-2 on the year and have adequately made the case that they should be ranked in Class D-2's top 10. Next up for the Lady Longhorns are High Plains Community (7-4) and Shelby/Rising City (4-7) in a Thursday triangular at High Plains. On Saturday, Sept. 28, DHS will travel to Waco to take on Omaha Christian Academy (6-4) and Nebraska Lutheran (6-6) in another triangular.

Shirley Kasl Turns 90: Shirley Kasl of Dorchester will celebrates her 90th birthday this week. She was born Sept. 25, 1934, in Wilber. Her family members include her son and daughter-in-law, George and Jen Kasl of Dorchester; four granddaughters; and two great-granddaughters. To help Shirley celebrate, cards may be sent to 1375 County Road I, Dorchester, NE 68343.

Farmers Cooperative to Build Major Facility Near Pawnee City: Farmers Cooperative has unveiled plans to build a grain shuttle loading facility near Pawnee City in southeast Nebraska. "The facility will feature a storage capacity of approximately 3.7 million bushels and will include a 110-car shuttle shipper on the BNSF railroad,” said Dale Hayek, senior vice president of grain at Farmers Cooperative. Construction is scheduled to begin this fall and the facility should be operational by the fall of 2026.

NEWS ROUND-UP: DHS Volleyball Off To 9-2 Start

 

(Photo credit: Sharon Axline)

Longhorn Volleyball Starts Strong: The Orange and Black Attack, also known as the Dorchester High School volleyball team, is taking Class D-2 by storm. The Lady Longhorns have stormed out of the gate, winning nine of the first 11 games in the 2024 campaign. On Tuesday night, Sept. 17, DHS beat both Nebraska Lutheran and Cedar Bluffs at the Dorchester Invitational, improving to 9-2 on the young season. Dorchester's only two losses so far have been to Weeping Water and Falls City Sacred Heart. Next up for DHS is Osceola (5-0) next Tuesday, Sept. 24, in a contest at home.

DHS Football Off to Tough Start: The Dorchester football team is off to an 0-3 start on the season. The Longhorns dropped their latest contest on Sept. 14 to Grand Island's Heartland Lutheran by a count of 42-28. (Check out these great action shots of the contest.) This week, Dorchester is off. Next up for DHS is Harvard (0-3) on Sept. 27 in a contest at beautiful Nerud Field.

Homecoming Week is Next Week: Sept. 23-27 is homecoming week at Dorchester Public Schools. See the spirit week themes. The homecoming bonfire and pep rally will be Wednesday evening, Sept. 25.

Worship Service in the Park This Sunday: This Sunday, Sept. 22, the Dorchester United Methodist Church will hold services in the Dorchester City Park at 9:30 a.m. Dorchester UMC is inviting the entire village to this community worship service. Come and meet the new Pastor, Cameron Miller, and stay for a free lunch after the service. All are welcome to attend.

Community Fall Clean-Up is Mid-October: Dorchester's Community Fall Clean-Up will be from Saturday, Oct. 12 through Monday, Oct. 19. The dump site will be open Monday thru Friday 3-7 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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

The photo at the right shows Dorchester's bustling main street (Washington Avenue) as it appeared in the 1920s.

The image is from a 1929 postcard.

The photo shows the South Side Garage, located on the west side of the block that sits between Dorchester's 6th and 7th Streets (next to the modern-day car wash).

Henry Sehnert owned and operated the South Side Garage from 1925 to 1930, before moving north to the other side of the street, where he would operate his Ford garage for half a century. 

The South Side Garage was located near the present-day car wash.

Also housed in this building, in later years, was: Floyd Beck's John Deere dealership; the Dorchester skating rink; and Bob Wanek's furniture storage warehouse.

Today's Village Hall can clearly be seen in the photo, looking north.

At the time the picture was taken, the corner building actually housed Citizen's State Bank -- Dorchester oldest continuous business, despite the name change.

Also pictured is the U.S. Post Office, as well as the Masonic and Good Fellows Hall, which occupied the second floor of today's Village Hall building.

Prior to the 1920s (see photos on the left side), the south side of main street was home to Skinkle Cafe and the H. Oetkin Machine Shop, according to a 1914-1920 map of Dorchester. 

Just north of the machine shop were Ireland's Dry Goods and Grocery and Randell's Shoe Shop. 

Continuing north up main street -- separated by the narrow alley and present-day bank drive-through -- were the Bank of Dorchester and Dr. Waller's Drug Store.  

In later years, these buildings would house businesses such as the Dorchester opera house, a second fire department station, Dick's Auto Body and Repair, and Max Harling's "Brand X" tractor repair.

On the east side of the street on the same block -- circa the 1920s -- sat the Commercial Hotel; Cookus Blacksmith; Parker's Cream and Poultry; the Chamber of Commerce; City Hall; Dillon's Blue Front Cafe; and Malek's Butcher Shop.

Dorchester's main street was a hub of business activity and free enterprise.

We are certain that Times' readers would enjoy hearing feedback (in the comments section below) from residents -- past or present -- who have stories from friends or family about Dorchester's early days.  

Homes For Sale on Main Street

Dorchester's real estate market remains strong. This despite that easy, cheap money -- following several years of money printing due to massive government spending -- are coming to a close.

Many homes in large cities and rural properties have become unaffordable for the average buyer. Dorchester looks even more appealing now to most folks in the market for a home. 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 are two Dorchester homes that just hit the market:

1013 Washington Ave.: Built in 1901, this very affordable three bedroom, two bath house has a main floor with two of the bedrooms, full bath, living/dining areas, kitchen and laundry. Primary bedroom with full bath and walk in closet are on the second level. Basement area is very small for shelter and utilities, but is mostly crawl space. Is located on a corner lot with a large two stall attached garage. Has central heat and air and second level includes the window unit for added cooling. See the listing.

909 Washington Ave.: Built in 1900, this 1.5 story, three bedroom, one bathroom home in Dorchester is a great starter property. Primary bedroom, laundry and bathroom are on the main level with two bedrooms upstairs. Selling as-is. See the listing.

Looking Back: Dorchester's Firsts

Most area historians concur that Andreas' History of the State of Nebraska -- written in the late 1800s -- is the authority on Saline County's earliest days. No other collection of information is as detailed or thorough.

Through the online edition of Andreas' History, the Times has compiled a collection of Dorchester's firsts, including the first couple married in town, the first birth, the first death, and the first official sermon.

Here is a look back at some the firsts of our community, whose roots begin in the year 1870, when Dorchester's location was selected by the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad and the survey was made. 

* First Residents: Before buying the site that would become Dorchester from the U.S. Government, the railroad sent four men to claim an entire section of land, with each claiming 160 acres. Two of the four men who settled at that time were James Seely and Edward McIntyre -- Dorchester's first residents. Both made a permanent location here. The other two remained just long enough to secure the land and transfer it to the railroad.

* First Birth: The first birth occurred in early 1872, and was that of John, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Hawkins. The next birth occurred October 10, 1872, and was that of Ed McIntyre Parker, son of Hon. and Mrs. T. B. Parker.

* First Death: The first death occurred in the spring of 1873, and was that of Burke, the infant son of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Windrem.

* First Sermon: Sometime in late 1870 or early 1871, the first formal sermon in Dorchester was delivered by Rev. Frederick Alley, a Congregational minister.

* First Official Schoolhouse: The first schoolhouse was built in 1872.

* First Church: The Christian church was built in the summer of 1878. 

* First Bank: The Bank of Dorchester was established in October 1881.

* First Newspaper: The Dorchester Star was established August 21, 1881, and the first edition was printed Sept. 8, 1881. (Although three other newspapers have also been published in our village over the years -- The Saline County Express, The Dorchester Booster, and The Dorchester Leader.)

* First Village Board: Dorchester was incorporated as a village in 1881, with N. B. Alley, Thomas Jarrett, John Oberlies, S. G. Panter, and W. H. Pallett listed as Trustees; C. F. Thomas, Clerk; J. H. Clark, Treasurer; and M. O. Alley, Marshal.

* First Census Count: In 1879, two years before Dorchester's official incorporation, the village had 673 residents. A year later, it ballooned to 954.

Foundation Golf Fundraiser Is Sept. 15

Get your golf clubs ready. The ninth annual Dorchester Community Foundation Fund Golf Tourney is set for Sunday, Sept. 15.

The outing will take place at the Crete Country Club, according to a flyer.  

The event will have shotgun start at 10 a.m.

The tourney will be a two-person, best ball format. Cost is $65 per person, or $130 per two-person team. 

Cost includes 18 holes, cart, meal, and pin prizes.

Registration is due no later than Sunday, Sept. 8.

The payment is due on tournament day. Checks should be made payable to: Dorchester Community Foundation Fund.

For more information or to sign up, call Linda Easley at 402-641-0564 or email geasley5@windstream.net

All proceeds go to the Dorchester splash pad project.

Recycling Is Back In Dorchester

 

 

For those who want to recycle, you can do it in Dorchester once again.

The recycling trailer is located at the village dump site. 

The trailer can only be utilized during the dump's hours, weather permitting.

 Dump hours are:

• Monday and Wednesday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• Saturday, 9 p.m. to 5 p.m. 

Glass is not accepted, we are told.

Accepted items are aluminum, cardboard, paper, and plastics 1-7.