Telbasta, Washington County, Nebraska Historic Towns: Telbasta Historic Towns: Telbasta -Courtesy of Washington County Nebraska History, 1980 Telbasta, was named, according to the only known mention of the matter, by the Post Office department when a post office was put in the store opened by Conrad Fulrodt in 1880. The area had been settled somewhat earlier by German farmers, and when the store and post office were established, it became a typical country trading community. A cemetery and church were included in the cluster of improvements and for many years it was hoped, indeed expected, that there would be a railroad built to follow the Bell Creek valley north. This never came to be however. Situated ten miles north of Arlington, and thirteen miles west and 2.5 miles north of Blair, the store was operated after Mr. Fulrodt died in 1891, by a Mr. Bovee. In 1894, P. Z. Wilson Company of Arlington purchased the store and Edward Schafersman was hired to run it. The store building burned in 1903 and in 1904, Henry Meierhenry put up a new building which Mr. Schafersman owned and operated. Mr. Schafersman died in 1937. He had had a partner between 1905 and 1920, John Strenger, during which time the store was called "Schafersman & Strenger." The store was enlarged twice, the second time in the late 1930's. When Mr. Schafersman died, his sons Clarence and Chester continued to run the store until October 15, 1959. At that time the stock was sold and the building was vacated. In 1976, Chester Schafersman's son LeRoy restored the building and made it into an antique shop. Also in Telbasta during the early days, there was a blacksmith shop. It was located just east of the Telebasta school. Back to Top