102 No. 8th Street
Address: 102 North 8th Street
Legal Description: Lee’s Subdivision of OutLot 26, part of the East ½ Lot 17.
Building:
1874 C. D. Camp residence was located here.
1877 C. D. Camp, one of the city’s first businessmen, began taking pictures in Geneva.
1884 Camp, the photographer, had a panoramic picture of Geneva taken from the top of the schoolhouse.
1886 C. D. (Stote) Camp erected a building here-- at the corner of Court and Church Streets--to be used as a photographic gallery. This location would become the Camp Photo Gallery.
1893 C. D. Camp had all the negatives that were made by Wilson & Welch so that any person wishing pictures made from them could get them there at reduced prices.
1898 Fred Camp, who had been a barber, joined his father, C. D. Camp, in the photography business.
1902 C. D. and Fred Camp sold their photograph gallery to D. J. Dewald and William Ralston of Friend. Fred went into the mercantile business at the southwest corner of 8th and G Streets.
1903 Dewald and Ralston removed the frame structure and erected a brick building on this site.
1905 G. E. Walker, located at Ralston’s Studio, enlarged and framed photos. Later that year, George E. Walker relocated to Beatrice.
1907 Dewald sold his interest in the business to his partner Willliam Ralston.
1907 In Feb., Frank Held moved to the photography annex on Court Street. He moved from the basement of the Union Block.
1907 In Mar., Frank Held moved back to rooms in the Lightbody Building near the livery barn, ½ block south of the photography gallery--130 So. 8th.
1910 Mary Held purchased this property. Her husband, Frank Held, ran a tailor shop here from about 1913-1917.
1917 In March, F. B. Ashton purchased the property north of Ralston’s Photographic Gallery from Frank Held. A room was dug under the studio for the installation of a furnace. Frank Held moved to 130 No. 9th. The building was occupied by J. A. Smith’s Monument Works. His office was previously at 130 No. 9th Street.
1917 In May, F. B. Ashton removed the original structure and replaced it with a brick building.
1921 William Ralston sold his photography studio to F. B. Ashton of the Geneva Monument Works and moved his photography business to 954 G Street. Ashton combined the two brick buildings and utilized part of the complex as his private residence.
1939 This was the last year that Ashton Monument and Vault Works was listed in the phone book. Mrs. Ashton continued to live here after her husband’s death. Cora was listed as a resident until 1945.
1945 The Ashton Monument Works was sold to W. S. Desch & Sons of York. All materials and equipment were moved to York.
1946 Paul and Mildred Farmer rented it as their residence. It continued as a rental until 1952.
1952 Shaw and McEachran, veterinarians, moved to this location from their office on the same block at 130 North 8th Street.
1956 Dr. L. C. Shaw continued the veterinary practice at the death of his father-in-law, Dr. L. C. McEachran.
1957 Mrs. Ashton died in 1957 and this property was sold to settle the estate. This property and Lot 7 were sold to LeGrande Shaw who had rented it for his veterinary practice.
1963 W. F. Carter, veterinarian, took over the building. Dr. Shaw moved to Minnesota.
1975 Dr. Carter moved his practice to a larger building at the corner of 14th and E Streets.
1976 H & R Block, managed by George Brown, provided income tax service here and made his home in the apartment.
1987 H & R Block, managed by James and Karen White, was located here. They moved their business to 339 South 10th Street.
1987 John Westfall purchased the complex for his home.
2018 John Westfall and wife Nina sold the property to RARIE, LLC and moved to a home in a residential neighborhood in Geneva.
This was ongoing as of the last posting.