145 No. 8th Street
Address: 145 North 8th Street
Legal Description: Lots 3, 4 and 5
Building:
1904 George Williams opened a blacksmith shop in the old Flick location north of Schneider’s livery barn. John Kabley was in charge.
1911 In June, George Beeson moved his blacksmith shop here from 152 So. 8th.
1911 In September, G. R. Beeson sold this property to J. P. Johnson.
1911 J. P. Johnson built a garage 46’ x 110’ on Church Street.
1911 J. P. Johnson converted his garage into an ice skating rink.
1912 J. P. Johnson veneered his skating rink on North Church Street with brick and put in a floor and turned the building into a roller skating rink. C. W. Stansberry of Mooncraft, Wyoming operated the rink.
1913 In May, William Kamler purchased the skating rink from C. W. Stansberry.
1913 In July, William Kamler closed his skating rink in the J. P. Johnson building on north Church Street and moved it to York. Patronage of the rink was down and the nightly grind of the organ caused much weariness of the soul to the people in the neighborhood.
1917 C. A. Wells leased the skating rink for a short time, but it reverted back to J. P. Johnson. J. P. Johnson continued to operate the rink and added new skates.
1919 C. R. Tharp and D. E. Tharp prepared to open a new garage in the J. P. Johnson building.
1919 Tharp Motor Co. remodeled the building that was formerly the skating rink. They replaced the wood floors with cinders and installed an office and work room. They sold Buicks, Overland, Willys and Elgin Cars.
1919 Virgil Dana was in charge of the repair shop for Tharp Motor Co.
1921 Tharp Motor Co. relocated their business, location unknown at this time.
1921 In February, Stewart Heiderstadt moved his storage battery station here, the Tharp Motor Co. garage, from 1030 G Street.
1922 Tharp Motor Co. dissolved their partnership. C. R. Tharp bought the interest of his partner D. E. Tharp. The business continued without change under the old name, Tharp Motor Co. They had been in business in Geneva about four years, beginning in the Johnson building on North Church Street, moving to their new location about a year and a half ago.
DATE Fillmore County must have used this building after Tharp Motor Co. moved to their new location and before 1926 when G. W. Porter had his farm implement business here.
1926 George W. Porter of Fairmont opened a stock of John Deere implements in Geneva. The business was located in the building on Church Street formerly used as a skating rink, now the county shop, across the alley from Crandall’s blacksmith shop.
1926 George Porter’s farm implement business was located here. He handled John Deere implements. Maytag washers were also sold.
1929 George W. Porter reported that the tractor school put on at his implement house Saturday was very successful, about 125 farmers were in attendance.
1934 Edgar Nichols purchased Lot 5 from J. P. Johnson estate.
1935 Edgar Nichols purchased Lots 3 & 4 from J. P. Johnson estate. Over the years, the company acquired Lots 1 – 8. Nichols Construction Company, a new company created by three brothers, Howard, Jess and Robert (Bob), moved into the building. Their father Edgar, had begun contracting highway work in the early 1920’s and the sons continued his business. The Company owned gravel pits in Fillmore County and did a good business providing gravel for county roads and sand suitable for concrete making. During World War II the company had road construction projects at the Hastings Ammunition Depot and the Sioux Ordnance Plant in Sidney, Nebraska.
1935 William (Bill) Bruce had office space here during the 1940’s. He was a mechanic who followed the sugar beet harvest in the fall of the year and worked in Geneva the balance of the year.
1957 Jess Nichols sold his interest in the business to his brothers and moved to Colorado.
1960 Nichols Construction Company moved into a new building which the company had erected at 137 North 8th Street. It was built just south of where the old shop was located on the corner of 8th and H Streets.
1960 It is reported that Harry Bordner “junked” iron in the old building in the 1960’s. He bought and sold used batteries. In the summer time he pumped gravel for Nichols Construction.
1977 Nichols Construction sold Lots 1 – 8 to Lyle and Floyd Olena.
1995 The Olena’s sold Lots 1-8 to Richard Mueller and Thomas Biegert and wives.
1995 The building was used for storage by various renters.
1998 The building was demolished. The lot was vacant.
This was ongoing as of the last posting.