848 G Street

Address:    848 G Street

Legal Description:     East ½ of Lot 76

Building:     Fiegenbaum

1874 Henry Wharton purchased Lot 76 from the State of Nebraska.

1878 Joseph Fisher purchased Lot 76 from Henry Wharton.

1880 Walter V. Fifield bought the East ½ of Lot 76 from Joseph Fisher.

1880 Later the same year, Gabriel and Fiegenbaum purchased the lot from Walter V. Fifield and wife.  Ernest Gabriel then sold his interest in the lot to L. S. Fiegenbaum.

1880 L. S. Fiegenbaum opened a drug store here.  It was called The Star Drug Store.

1880 E. Gabriel of the firm Gabriel and Fiegenbaum left to take a position for a wholesale company in Omaha.

1883 L. S. Fiegenbaum built an addition to his drug store to use as a warehouse room.

1883 L. S. Fiegenbaum established a circulating library in his drug store.  There were 500 books on the shelves and were loaned out at a cost of 10 cents per book for one week.

1883 C. H. Bane, attorney at law and notary public, had an office over the Star Drug Store.

1884 In April, C. H. Bane sold all his properties and started west to look for a new location.

1884 G. R. Hart, physician and surgeon had an office at Star Drug Store.

1887 A gale whipped through town breaking large plate glass windows in J. D. Spear’s Trade Palace, L. S. Fiegenbaum’s drug store and Shumway & Alexander’s meat market.

1890 L. S. Fiegenbaum moved the frame business building he occupied and in its place erected a two story brick building.

1890 Dr. G. R. Hart closed his practice and moved with his family to Denver, Colorado.

1891 L.  S. Fiegenbaum purchased the drug business of Cooksey and Laflin.

1892 The Sanborn Maps showed a drugstore here.

1893 In January, L. S. Fiegenbaum owned the brick building at 972 G Street.  He moved to a building vacated by I. S. Darling and took possession of the building.

1893 In February, J. H. Dempster moved his stock of clothing into the old Fiegenbaum building.

1893 In February, J. H. Dempster was joined by son-in-law Joe Fisher.

1893 In November, the firm of J. H. Dempster and Joe Fisher dissolved.  Joe Fisher continued in the Fiegenbaum building.

1893 In December, Joe Fisher was joined by the “Hub."

1894 In April 1894, the Fiegenbaum building housing Fisher Clothing burned in another fire.  The Fisher clothing stock was completely destroyed in the fire.

1894 Ben Walton built a small building in the southwest corner of the lot and opened a candy and cigar stand.

1896 Ben Walton purchased a new peanut roaster for his stand.

1897 The Sanborn Map showed a small building on the lot which was labeled a confectionery.

1902 The Sanborn Map showed a small building on the lot which was labeled a confectionery.

1903 Ben Walton closed his candy and cigar stand.  The building was moved to his home in the west part of town. Ben went to Omaha to attend Barber College.  He later returned to Geneva and opened his own barbershop in another location.

1903 Spear & Co. owned the lot and used the space to display implements.

1903 In August, Lou Fiegenbaum began a new building at this location.  It was a one-story brick building 90 feet deep.  The front sixty feet of the implement shed on the lot adjoining Mr. Fiegenbaum on the west was moved to the rear of the Spear lot on the east.

1903 In December, the Hitch store moved into the new building erected by L. S. Fiegenbaum.

1910 In July, W. R. Hitch retired and sold his interest in the firm of Newton Hitch to L. O. Swails.  The new firm went by the name Hitch & Swails.

1912 An addition was built to the rear of the Hitch & Swails store that was used as a storage room for flour, sugar, etc.  It was constructed of galvanized iron and had a cement floor to make it rat proof.  They also rebuilt the grocery side of their store with modern grocery shelving.

1912 In December, they had a small blaze in a window filled with a Christmas display.  It did little damage.

1919 In October, they advertised that they were selling milk and cream from the Geneva Dairy Co.

1920 In April, Newton Hitch, accompanied by his partner Mr. Swails, traveled to St. Joseph to visit the wholesale houses and W. R. Hitch.  Newton became ill on the train and upon arrival at their destination was taken to the hospital where he died.   Newton’s interest in the business went to his widow and then later was transferred to her son Frank.  The firm name remained Hitch & Swails until the business closed. 

1922 The Sanborn Maps showed a store selling groceries and boots and shoes.

1922 Frank Crawford purchased the East ½ of Lot 76 from Louis Fiegenbaum.

1923 Hitch and Swails moved to 866 G to a building built by Frank Hitch.

1923 In the fall, Crawford opened a grocery store after repapering and painting.

1923 Frank Crawford sold his grocery store to J. J. Havlovic of Wilber.

1924 Frank Crawford bought back his grocery store from Mr. Havlovic.  It became Geneva’s first IGA store.

1929 Having decided to go out of the grocery business, Crawford’s  stock and fixtures were for sale.  The store was also for rent.

1929 The new Efficiency Grocery Store opened in the Frank Crawford building.  H. L. Wands was the manager, assisting him were Bill Jacque and Val Curtiss.

1929 The Efficiency Store announced it would close at the end of the year through the bulk sales law. It was owned by Rasse Wholesale Grocery Co. of Fairbury. The stock was later sold to Mr. Keifer.

1930 Mrs. Knudsen rented the Crawford store in the west business block and moved her ladies ready-to-wear store to that location from 121 South 10th Street.  Mr. and Mrs. Knudsen lived in the apartment above the store until 1935.

1931 Mrs. Edna Pivniska leased the Knudsen beauty parlor.  The business was called Edna’s Beauty Shoppe.

1933 The Sanborn Maps showed a store here.

1936 Mrs. Knudsen’s store was being remodeled.  When the work was completed, she had one of the most modern shops in this section.

1936 Mrs. Knudsen sold her shop to Mildred Miller Farmer.  She changed the name to The Miller Style Shop.  

1936 In December, the Vera Marie Beauty Salon, Vera Stanclift owner, opened her business in the Miller Style Shoppe.

1937 Eileen Hedlund of Holdrege took charge of the beauty shop located in the Miller Style Shop.  The business was called Eileen’s Beauty Salon.

1943 The Sanborn Maps showed a store here.

1943 Frank Crawford sold the property to Fred J. Schneider.

1945 Mildred Miller Farmer (Mrs. Paul) sold her ladies ready-to-wear  business to Pfc. and Mrs. Judson (Pat) Cumberland.  The name of the business was changed to Cumberland’s Style Shoppe.

1947 Fred J. Schneider sold the property to Judson L. Cumberland.

1951 There were several beauticians that worked in the beauty shop between 1951 and 1970.  They were Dorothy Schupbach, Dorothy Rosenquist Serk, Eileen Mitchell and Marlene Richardson.

1959 Cumberland’s Style Shoppe was temporarily located in the London building while their store was being remodeled.

1994 After the death of Pat Cumberland, the store was passed on to her family.  Her daughters were Judy Ousey and Mary Bruning.  Granddaughter Patty Roper Epperson was the store manager. 

This was ongoing as of the last posting.