Historical Society

Museum Hours

April - October
Wednesdays 1:00-4:00
Saturdays 1:00-4:00
Sundays 1:00-4:00

November - March
Wednesdays 1:00-4:00
Saturdays 1:00-4:00

Board Members

Larry Kaspar
Nancy Fulton
Connie Strouf
Carolyn Pavlish
Phil Weber
Doris Koll
Maxine Filipi
Nicole Zurcher
Marla Weber

The Saline County Historical Museum is operated by volunteers. the Board consists of ten individuals that meet quarterly.

There is no admission fee, although donations are welcome.

Location

S.W. corner of Junction
NE Hwy 33 & Washington Street,
Dorchester, NE

Museum Pictures

1880's Bedroom

1880's Kitchen

1927 Fire Truck

Barber Shop in Main Building

Buckingham School

Burden home, the first Black settlers in Saline County

Butter Display

Charles Havlat Display

Depot

Log Cabin

Map

Plato Traveling Post Office

Wedding Dress in Chapel

Saline County Historical Society Museum

In the 1950’s, Rosa Dusanek had a dream of building a Saline County Museum to house the history of the people of Saline County. A Saline County Historical Society was established in 1957. In 1960, the County Commissioners gave the society a one-tenth mill levy.

  1. MAIN BUILDING (Built in 1964). This building includes a military section from Civil War to Desert Storm, display of towns in Saline County including Pleasant Hill, a music area, collections of family items from various periods, The Kiddle doll house and a Nebraska Historical Society painting of Pleasant Hill.

  2. CHAPEL (Built in 1974). This building includes a funeral room depicting a funeral from 1880, funeral history, altar from DeWitt Lutheran Church, wedding attire, wedding dresses, marriage licenses, miscellaneous religious items and a pump organ, etc.

  3. MEMORIAL BUILDING (Built in 1992). This building includes different period rooms and activities of the home, businesses, medical, dentist, optometrist and photography equipment.

  4. WEIDNER BUILDING (Built in 2012). This building was a memorial donation from Irene Weidner, an area school teacher. Her husband Fritz Weidner loved horses, so most items in the building are related to horses. An eariy iron cage that served as a jail is located there.

  5. KASPAR BUILDING (Built in 2018). A donation from the Bernard and Helen Kaspar family. This building includes early mechanized agricultural equipment including trucks, tractors and items from Bill's Garage of Pleasant Hill.

  6. MACHINERY BUILDING (Built in 1969). This building includes large farm machinery, premechanical machinery and early household items and appliances.

  7. CENTER HALL VOTING BUILDING (Built in 1890). This building that was once a school became a voting hall which closed prior to being moved here in 1976. Included are early voting booths and other voting memorabilia.

  8. BUCKINGHAM SCHOOL DISTRICT 35. This building was an 1871 sod house, then changed into a wooden building in 1873. It was a rural school with grades Kindergarten through 8th grade. The museum bought the building and moved it here in 1964.

  9. BURDEN HOME (Built in 1868 by Henry Burden). This is the original family home. Henry was a slave in the Civil War. The original homestead was 80 acres in Pleasant Hill, there were 8 children and the children slept in the attic--to go to bed they had to go out and around to the back of the house.

  10. CIZEK LOG CABIN BUILDING (Built in 1869). While being built, the family lived in a dugout in the hillside. The cabin was moved here in 1971 and the building cover was built in 1973. Building also includes a large barbed wire collection.

  11. PLATO POST OFFICE (Moved here in 1970). The post master was a political appointment which decided the location of the post office.

  12. DORCHESTER DEPOT ((Built in 1872 with addition in 1912). Originally painted barn red. Houses railroad memorabilia .

  13. RESEARCH BUILDING (Built in 2017). This building contains school census records, family histories, old newspapers, Saline county research, a display of the transition to electrical appliances and family genealogy.

  14. WOODEN WINDMILL. This windmill was created by the Crete Windmill Co. of Crete and was licensed for use from the mid 1870's to about 1900.

  15. CHARLEY HAVLAT MEMORIAL (East end of Driveway). Charley was the last casualty on the European front in WWII. A display is in the main building.