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This History Tour has been prepared with the goal of preserving as much Waldorf history as possible to inform current and future generations so they may enjoy and appreciate the history that has taken place before them. A big thank you to all of the generous people who shared information in order to make this possible.

Prepared for

“Explore Waseca County” by Judy Joecks ~ 2025

Waldorf Committee:

Judy Joecks, Rob Wilkening, Sherri Sandry,

Charley Barnes, Marty Tesch

Photos provided by:

Judy Joecks ~ Waseca County Historical Society ~ Waldorf Fire & Rescue

Compiled to preserve history for past, present & future generations. They can be enjoyed at The Waseca County History Center Library.

The history of Waldorf begans with the development of Plum Valley. In 1895, Samuel Hodgkins organized a group of area farms that lived on the prairie near the Freedom & Vivian township line. This group of farmers decided there was a need for a local creamery, and in a short time, a creamery was built. The creamery and the beginning of the town were named "Plum Valley" because of a dense thick of plum trees that grew along the natural drainage ditch running to the northwest of the site.

The creamery and the beginnings of the town were named “Plum Valley.” This very early photo shows the Wilmington State Bank in the foreground. (The edge of the blacksmith shop can be seen to the right of the bank). Left of the bank is the buttermaker’s house, and in the back is the first Plum Valley Creamery building. Not shown are the entire blacksmith shop to the right of the bank, or the John Veum General Merchandise & Grocery and the A.J. Tangeman Hardware. These two businesses were across the street from the blacksmith shop.

This building was originally built by Arnold and Ada Eichhorst in 1947, where they opened a grocery store. It was built by the Theodore Stencel crew of Minnesota Lake.

In 1950, Joe and Ag Deml purchased the store from Arnold and Ada Eichhorst to open Deml’s Market, where they sold groceries and for many years bought eggs. Joe had experience in the grocery business, having been in partnership in Meriden for two years prior. They lived in the living quarters upstairs and raised their family in Waldorf. In 1983, after 33 years of running Deml’s Market, Joe and Ag Deml decided to retire. “We have thoroughly enjoyed living in Waldorf and serving all the people here”, Joe commented.

In 1983, Ron and Jan Bluhm, both natives of Waldorf, leased the building from Joe and Ag Deml to open Bluhm’s Grocery. They ran the store until December, 1987, at which time the business closed.

1988, Dave and DeeAnn Britton purchased the inventory and fixtures and moved them to the Jans Hardware Annex where they opened Dave’s Grocery.

The building is now privately owned. The owner and his family live upstairs. The owner’s mother operated a part-time antique store downstairs for a short period of time.

To the right is the former hardware building, which remained in business until it closed on May 1, 1999, as Jans Hardware. The building is now privately owned. The 2025 Waldorf photo shows the corner where the Ewert General Merchandise building was located. It had remained an Ewert family business until it burned down as Ewert Fairway in 1957. The Luverne Ewert family, living upstairs, was able to escape out the window unharmed. The corner now displays a beautiful flower bed that is planted and cared for by the “Waldorf Petal Pushers” garden club.

On the left is the Former Wilmington State Bank building in Waldorf after it was moved there from Plum Valley in 1908. At some point, it became a café with several owners over the years. At the time of this photo, it was the G&C Café, owned by Gary & Carolyn Flicek. The café closed as “The Hitchin Post”, and the building was purchased by Charley Barnes, who had it taken down. Today, the brick building on the corner is Minnwest Bank. From July, 1938 to October, 1945, this corner building was the home of the Corner Café. At that time, everyone in town had their own well. For the Cafe, a new well was dug just outside the building.

The Waldorf Veterans’ Memorial Park (WVMP) provides a commemorative place to celebrate the historical community of Waldorf, Minnesota, and the memory of all American Veterans who served (and still serve) our country to protect and provide us with our freedom and peaceful way of life. The WVMP is also dedicated to representing our Policemen, Firefighters, EMTs, and other First Responders who serve every day to provide health and safety to us all in Waseca County and beyond. Working with American Legion Post 587 and the City of Waldorf, building the Waldorf Veterans Memorial Park (WVMP) is being completed over time in a series of projects. Funding for the Waldorf Veterans Memorial Park is raised through grants and donations from organizations, businesses, foundations, government entities, and private citizens who wish to participate.

The first tractor pull in Waldorf took place in September 1976. It was organized by Lloyd Amundson with the help of Dale Joecks and Vince Schultz. Leon Piltz, Helmuth Eisen, Hugh Courtney, Kevin Schultz, Curt Schultz, and many others assisted. The tractor pull pictured above took place in 1981, with Ronald Coy pulling.

The tractor pulls took place on the early ball field area north of Papa Olie’s Bar & Grill and extended to both grain elevators.

For insurance purposes, the tractor pull was sponsored by the Waldorf Chamber of Commerce in 1977 and by the Jaycees beginning in 1978. David Hooker tilled the track, and the tractor pulls continued in Waldorf until the early 1990’s, sponsored by the Jaycees. In 1997, David Arndt sponsored a tractor pull in Waldorf, which also included cash prize drawings.

In 1947, the water and sewer system was installed in Waldorf. The system was complete with a new water tower and a chlorination unit. The installation of the water system served a dual purpose, one being for use by the villagers and the other for the use of the Fire Department.

Prior to the central water system, residents of Waldorf maintained their own deep wells, and fire fighting was limited to chemical means. When the bond issue passed for the city water systems, everyone signed up for city water and discontinued use of their individual wells.

In 2022, the water tower was sandblasted and given a new coat of paint with new lettering. In the process of updating the streets and sewer system in Waldorf, a new waste treatment plant has been built just north of town on Highway #83. The old treatment plant in town has been removed.

While this project was happening, our water treatment plant developed a major leak which required the city to re-engineer the existing interior treatment system, a first in the state of Minnesota that saved the city millions. Other cities came to Waldorf to view what had been done.

According to March 20, 1941 correspondence from the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Company, the line from Albert Lea to St. Clair was built in 1905 and 1906 as the Duluth, St. Cloud, Glencoe & Mankato Railway Company. It was built by the Milwaukee Railroad Company construction crew and nicknamed “The Alphabet Road.” For a time it was operated under the St. Paul company as a branch line, but under the name of the original company. The line was taken over by the St. Paul company in 1910. The first tracks reached Plum Valley in the latter part of 1906, and the first regular scheduled train arrived in 1907. A depot was also built in 1907.

There had been much controversy over the name of Plum Valley from 1905 to 1908, some residents feeling it should be renamed “Hodgkins” after Samuel Hodgkins. The name was changed to Hodgkins by the railroad when they came in 1907. Soon after, in October of 1907, the Federal Post Office came. The government took matters into their own hands and placed a plaque on the depot calling the village by its present name of “Waldorf.” Another story is that the daughter of E.L. Tobie, the railroad President, named the town after the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. And yet another story is that E.L. Tobie himself selected names for three new townsites on this “Alphabet” railroad line, Matawan, Waldorf and Pemberton. Other stories were told, as well. No one seems to know which story is true, but the town was officially dedicated as Waldorf on July 9, 1908. In 1908 the businesses in Plum Valley (except the Plum Valley Creamery) moved their buildings a very short distance south to be closer to the new Depot.

The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific railroad from Albert Lea to St. Clair was abandoned in 1978. In 1978 the tracks and ties were removed and the railroad company’s land parcels were sold individually. The Depot was taken down in approximately 1985.

In 1969, Father Wilfred Brandel arrived at St. Joseph’s. During his time in Waldorf, he bought land and organized this community cemetery. First Lutheran & St. Joseph’s cemeteries are located on Highway #83, on the south edge of Waldorf.

On August 1, 1880, seven men gathered at the home of Albert Kamrath to make plans for the building of a church, and at this time the by-laws of the congregation were made. An acre of land, which lays on the southwest corner of SE 1/4, Section 7, Vivian Township, Waseca County, was donated by William Miller. This was to be the building site for the church and also provided space for the church cemetery. On June 14, 1931, the 50th Anniversary of the church was observed. Dinner was served by the ladies of the congregation, and the Waldorf Band played several selections. It was about this time the services were being changed from German to English. In 1943, husbands and wives began sitting together. Before that time husbands sat on one side wives on the other.

This is one of the former rural school buildings that

remained in Waldorf after the school addition was completed in 1951, and was made into a home with additions.

This is one of the former rural school buildings that remained in Waldorf after the school addition was completed in 1951, and was made into a home with additions.

This is one of the former rural school buildings that remained in Waldorf after the school addition was completed in 1951, and was made into a home with additions.

Rural School District #20 was built in Wilton Township, Section 17, in 1882, to replace the first District #20 that was built in 1866, Section 8. Mary (Cauley) Mathews, who had been teaching in the Section 8 school, was the first teacher in the new Section 17 building. In 1951 the school closed and most of the students were transferred to Waldorf. The building was then sold to Henry Bauman, father of Lois Bauman Yess. “It’s a landmark around here,” Lois said, “I promised my dad I’d keep it painted bright so people would know it’s special.”