Sally, I grew up in Tobias and it is difficult to see how it is now. I do want to say the actual MAIN entrance is from the north (opposite side of where you started) and it would have looked quite pretty. Also, there are many nice occupied houses you missed but still the main st. is what it is. It was a wonderful place to grow up in and all those green areas were indeed, businesses. I am not sure Tobias was ever as large as a thousand but I THINK more like 700s. Doesn't matter as this is what's left. In the forties and fifties when I grew up, this town had 3 grocery stores, 2 taverns, lumberyard, hardware, post office, several offices for utilities and businesses, 2 repair shops, 1 filling station, radio/electonics store, a doctor, a dentist, 2 pharmacies, 2 blacksmiths, 2 churches, park, baseball field, plus more. It was nice to see it even though it's sad also. Thanks.
Hi Sharon, Thank you so much for sharing! Even though the town has seen it’s share of decline, I still think Tobias would make a lovely place to live. I loved how peaceful it was and really enjoyed walking around the town.
Tobias is my hometown. Wow so many memories in this video. Our house was across from the park on Main Street … the house was originally a Doctors home… we loved that house. My parents just left it last October after living in the same house for over 50 years. Dad was the Postmaster for over 40 years.. many celebrations took place in the house 🏡… Tobias was a great place to grow up!
Love to see this. I was in Tobias in 1997 the last time visiting Loris parents and other relatives in Lincoln. Think I even met Lori and her family in their farm. Please say hello to everybody. Greetings from Germany.
Judging from the comments I've just read, you've touched alot of hearts in Nebreaska. Mine as well. I have lived in Crawford Nebraska most of my life and it can be sad to remember what these towns were and what they've died into. I would rather be here than in a bigger place, and I think these towns may make a bit of a comeback as more people get sick of life in big places. Quite probably out of necessity. You seem to have some insight into history of small towns. This was a nice video. Thank you.
I lived on a farm by Tobias, and graduated high school in Tobias. The town did not seem small to us at the time, now it is sad to see what is left. Every year around Memorial weekend the annual Tobias alumni banquet is held. Still great to see long ago friends and catch up with them. My aunt and uncle owned one of the grocery stores and I did help in it in high school. We were tiny, but mighty, ghty.
I grew up in a small town in Nebraska. Elk Creek currently has a population of 96 souls, two of whom are my parents and another handful of family members. The "grainery" is actually called a grain elevator and the metal buildings are quonset (pronounced kwan-set) huts.
It is amazing and a little sad to see these small towns just slowly fading away! I am glad you go out and show these small towns and talk about what used to be there.
Standing there in your sunglasses and baseball cap, you look pretty happy and I enjoy listening to your literary description of the town that you are visiting. I am now going to subscribe to your channel and look forward to seeing more.
Sally, there was a hardware store next to the tavern that was torn down. Forrest Hawkins ran it. I would buy my shotgun shells there to hunt pheasant and quail. Thanks for the piece of art.
You’re welcome, I’m so glad we got to explore this neat little town. Wish we could step back in time so I could walk into the hardware store and meet Mr. Hawkins.
Not to far away is Wilber Nebraska. They are the Czech capital of Nebraska. Every year they have a festival with Czech food and polka music. People smiling the whole time. The local meat store has the best steaks and weiners around . It's worth a trip just for that.
I grew up on a farm near Tobias. We used to put wax paper on the slide so we could go faster. The house you pointed out was where my Aunt and Uncle lived. My Uncle was the postmaster for many year. My husband and I had our wedding reception in the gym.
Oh, how very cool! Loved reading about your family connections to Tobias. And the was paper tip is something I haven't heard before, gonna have to try it!!
I remember that type of slide from the 60s. I used to play on them. Now they have been replaced with all new facilities. You have a time capsule there.
Great video! Interesting to me as I was born and raised in small town Nebraska! Those half round large steel buildings you mentioned at the start of the video would have originally part of the granary and would have had large piping in it along with the big vents on top to help aerate and dry ground stored grain. Thanks, and keep up the great work, really enjoyed it!
It's so sad to see these small towns disappear. The bars and eatery's are certainly the hot spots! I enjoyed small town living but my town wasn't that small! lol!
@@SightseeingSally I would move there...yup....BUT ..... no small parcels of land for sale there..... be great to find 30-40 acres ..... I cant afford 6,000 acres
Hello. What a surprise to see your RU-vid post on Tobias, Nebraska. Both of my grandparents grew up on farms nearby and graduated from Tobias High School. In fact, my grandfather and great-grandparents on my dad's side are buried in the Tobias Cemetary. Sharon Johnson is correct about coming in from the north end of the town from the direction of Lincoln. Thanks for the video.
Hi there my friends Sightseeing Sally and Marty! Yeah, I miss my hometown of Sullivan Indiana's City Parks slide! It was monstrously tall, - it had to be at least equivalent of a 2 story building in height! But they got rid of it, the swings, and the monkey bars! Now it's basically a not city park! Thank you for this video and bringing back some fun memories! You two take good care of yourselves, stay safe and stay well my friends Sightseeing Sally and Marty!🖒🖒😃❤
Hi Allen! Sounds like my hometown. We had a very tall slide, a clown swing, a curly slide, regular swings, and the monkey bars. It’s been forever since I was there last. You’re welcome, glad it brought back happy memories. ✨ And thanks, you, too!
I grew up here!! Those are my parents goats! My grandparents had a feed store in the town and maybe one on Main Street if I remember right. I was told growing up that there was a big fire and got rid of someone of the buildings on Main Street but I am not sure how accurate that is. The library used to be the museum, they switched buildings. If you walk behind the old fire house by the water tower you can see the jail, it has two cells in there.
Peak population was ony 672 back in 1900. The next 30 years was around 400. Never quite hit 1000. Those large quansit buildings were ag related not maintenance sheds. Pretty cool town.
Sally, I grew up in a small town with a population of 100 and now it is 550 because a couple of factories moved into hat county which is the smallest county in Illinois. It used to be a very large town in the coal mining days before we moved there when I was 3yrs old. The mine dump had the largest radius of all the dumps in Illinois and we put a lighted cross on top that still gets lit up every night to this day.
@@oldrustycars No the cross isn't paid for with tax money. We put the cross up when I was in Grade school and I am 75yrs old now and the principal did the wiring from the cross to an electric meter o a utility pole at the bottom. The town pays the bill.
wow kind of depressing to think that once that place was thriving with people I'm trying to imagine what it must of been like then well it's always nice to watch your video's because I learn about before and now thanks for sharing your videos and knowledge in them
Boy it is small and very windy I see. Very lonely main street! Unusual dirt roads. Yes definitely peaceful and quiet. Pay phone with 50cent fee, Wow. Definitely know what a tavern is . Been in a few of those in smaller towns. The Watertower was impressive!Always love your sunglasses. My wife would love your purple and pink flannel. Just noticed you are not wearing your hat with the patches and buttons. That is sad about the house that fell down. It seems that gardens were a common thing especially in small towns. It does look like an old haunted house. Yes I was not surprised about the abandoned houses!
lol, just got back from a family reunion at that fire station in Tobias. My grandpa is from there. Went through Wilbur to grab some water on the way back to Lincoln!
Sad to see these once nice homes in decrepit condition. Maybe a tv rehab show is in order here to create a new community. There a a lot of people in need of a home. I continue to enjoy your vids. Thanx for sharing!
My Job required that I move AND travel all over the US. We now live in a small rural town in the Mid-West. Excellent public schools, excellent healthcare, affordable housing, the nicest people you will ever meet, insanely low crime, perfect place to raise a family, etc., etc. I would NOT trade it for anything! The chaos that's happening on the East and West Coast is a very friendly reminder!!!😊
Raised next door in Martin, south Dakota people would make beer runs into Merrimen,Neb. Like 19miles from martin.my mom's name is Marty also. With a Y! She watches ur vlogs
Hey Sally! Im very interested to feel and see how people all over the world have lived and what they all have built. Those rural towns looking very boring but the architecture is very nice!! I have heard the state nebraska was founded by the Germans. I am from Germany, Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. I like to see ur videos!! Many greetings from Germany 🇩🇪 🇩🇪 🇩🇪 🇩🇪
Sally, if that had been me climbing a sliding board with a camera?... Well let's just say... All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Johnny together again. Be careful!❤. 👍👍👍
If you saw a blue house with a green roof on top that is what I call the townhouse we don't really sleep there anymore we used to sit around my meals and Papa's and I not from Tobias but my dad was back then
My wife was born and raised in North Platte Ne, and we buried Dad this year in Holdrege NE. I only have to go back one more time to NE, when Mom passes. And then never again. Of all the states I have lived in or visited I dislike NE and IN the most. Here in the east, you have the trees and mountains. NE is just so wide open and flat except in the sandhills of NE. But one good thing came out of NE. I met my wife in 95 when she lived in Lincoln and we got married on June 29, 1996, right there in Lincoln. Then in 2011, we escaped to TN. lol. She likes TN better My ancestors are TN Appalachian Mountain people, so I just came home
@@SightseeingSally I like the small towns, but instead of the wide-open spaces, I rather see trees and mountains. My wife and I lived in Eustis Ne, a small town, You should have gone to Alliance Nebraska and seen Carhenge
I'm from NE to TN, but I love visiting NE. I love the storms and the view at night from my small town; the skies go on forever and are so deep. Because we have no light pollution we see all the celestial bodies. Meteorite showers are wonderful.
You know that I told you about the monstrous slide in my hometown's city park? But what I didn't tell you is that it had two support poles on each side from the bottom to the top that us kids would wrap our arms and legs around and slide that way to the bottom like a fireman's pole! Dangerous, yes! But it was sure fun!
the people travel they leave keep Earth tall with ruins And the desertion of her loved ones, who were born on her How sad is that bug from the earth She should be sympathetic Because it has been your abode for a long time
@@SightseeingSally yes Sally ,you can score single numbers,double numbers and triple numbers and if you’re really good get the bulls eye...all the professionals in their cliques call the game “arrows”...if you’re in the pub and you keep hearing the number 180 shouted Take a closer look as you will be in the presence of champions,and there might be a few groupies around..
I grew up in Chester nebraska my grandpa owned a oil company it has the name peake on it and this makes me so mad watching these videos knowing they know nothing about Chester there accutally is a lot of people in Chester just go to the back in the corner next to the baseball field is where I lived and now it’s bought by someone else but this place is anything but abandoned u just didn’t go to the right places
#1 why are you speaking to us as if we are 10 years old? Also instead if asking us the history of these things why don’t you ask one of the numerous people you encountered there? Why make us wonder what’s inside the library when you can just go inside? Instead you interview goats who can tell us nothing.
You know you can just not say anything at all and carry on with life, right? Your pretty much all-around unnecessary comment shows everyone who is familiar with the place that you either A) have never been there or B) haven't been there in a really long time.