109 So. 10th Street
Also formerly known as Main Street
Address: 109 So. 10th Street
Legal Description: Spears Subdivision, Lots 103 & 104 & W ½ of 102, Lots 1 & 2 & North 1’ of Lot 3
Building: Jameson Hotel
1874 Henry Reel and Tom Bassett had a meat market where the Jameson Hotel stood. They lived in the back room. Mr. Reel was the first old soldier to be buried in the Geneva cemetery.
1876 Jacob Carson of Fairmont said the first time he came to Geneva he drove a yoke of oxen. Smith and Platt had the first grocery store, Jim Camp operated a livery stable, and there was a rooming house where the Jameson Hotel now stands. That’s about all there was to Geneva then.
1876 The City Hotel was advertised as being on the northeast corner of the square, Wm. Case, proprietor.
1878 The City Hotel was advertised as being on the east side of the square, Geneva, G. A. Whipple, proprietor.
1878 State of Nebraska (C. M. Northrup, agent) sold the City Hotel property to Jason J. Morrill.
1879 W. H. Jameson purchased this property from J. J. Morrill.
1880 The 1880 census listed W. H. Jameson as a landlord and his wife as a landlady of a rooming/boarding house in this location.
1890 W. H. Jameson made plans to build a three-story brick hotel on his residence property at the northeast corner of the square in Geneva. Ground was broken that same year. The building was to be 48 x 109 and was to cost $18,000. The brick work was done by Adams Bros. of Geneva. They began moving dirt for the Jameson Hotel.
1890 A hundred barrels of lime to be used in plastering the new hotel were made wet by rain, causing the lime to start slaking. The heat started a fire that caused $100 damage.
Note: According to the above picture, the hotel itself was 103 So. 10th and the south room of the hotel had an outside entrance with an address of 109 So. 10th.
1891 In May, J. Albert Wells opened a dry goods store in the Jameson building. This was a branch establishment of a store from McCook. Charley Rathbun accepted a position in this store.
1891 In July, J. Albert Wells moved his stock to the armory block--984 G, until he could move into Durham’s old stand at 974
1891 In August, M. S. Durham opened a stock of groceries in the Jameson Hotel building after selling his former business stock from 974 G.
1892 The Sanborn maps showed a grocery here.
1892 Sprague & Van Nice opened a grocery store in the room south of the lobby of the hotel.
1893 Sprague & Van Nice moved their grocery to the Martin Building (at the corner of Court and Main) when completed.
1895 In January, Sterns Hutchins moved his drug store from the Jameson Hotel into the Dempster building.
1897 The Sanborn maps show the room vacant.
1899 Mrs. C. S. Trotter moved her millinery stock to the Jameson Hotel from 121 So. 10th.
1899 Mrs. Trotter moved to the Jayne property on Court Street.
1900 Mrs. Flora Houchin had a millinery store.
1902 The Sanborn maps show a millinery store.
1904 Mrs. Houchin sold her store to Mrs. Laura I. Hickman of Seward. It was called The Palace Millinery Parlor.
1909 The Sanborn maps show a millinery store.
1923 Mrs. Hickman sold her millinery business to Mrs. Bess Schupbach.
1924 Geneva Women’s Club used the building.
1927 In February, G. Hauser moved his shoe store from 974 G Street to the room vacated by the Geneva Women’s Club.
1927 In April, G. Hauser closed his shoe store.
1931 The Fairmont Creamery was here under the management of A. M. Peterson.
1942 A surgical dressing station was opened in the room south of the hotel.
1977 Beauty Barn was operated by Marla Robare Lauenstein Messman.
1979 Keith and Irma Pool sold the hotel to Steve G. and Jolynn Frick.
1981 Steve and Jolynn Frick sold the hotel to Lincoln Federal Savings and Loan who planned to build a branch office here.
1981 The hotel was demolished
1983 Lincoln Federal Savings & Loan decided not to expand to Geneva and sold the property to the Geneva Veterans of Foreign Wars post.
1995 The VFW broke ground for their new structure. They completed a new building on the site.
This was ongoing as of the last posting.