162 So. 8th Street
Address: 162 South 8th Street
Legal Description: Spears Subdivision Outlot 27, Lots 5-6
Building:
1872 E. R. Spear bought Lots 5 and 6 from the State of Nebraska.
1877 Mrs. Kessler had a building erected on the lots north of J. T. Platt & Co. to be occupied as a millinery store.
1879 E. R. Spear sold Lots 5 and 6 to Mary H. Kessler and husband G. W. Kessler.
1880 Mary H. Kessler operated a millinery shop.
1886 Mrs. Brown sold her millinery shop to Mrs. J. H. Camp. (Exact location unknown.)
1889 H. J. Russell opened a gunshop and general smith repair on the west side of the square.
1890 Henry Wittemeyer opened a large stock of tailoring goods on the west side.
1892 The Sanborn Map showed a tailor shop on Lot 5.
1892 The Geneva Business Directory lists Sheldon & Russell selling sewing machines. They also kept a stock of needles, parts, oil and attachments.
1892 In June, H. J. Russell moved his gunshop to Superior and later California.
1897 The Sanborn Map showed Lots 5-6 as vacant, except for some small structures to the back of the lots.
1901 Sam Light moved the building which stood on his lots southwest of the square to the lot north of the Platt Hotel.
1901 Elmer Whittle moved his machine shop which was in the basement of the Union block to Sam Light’s building on the west side, Lot 6.
1902 The Sanborn Maps showed an engine works on Lot 6.
1902 G. E. Whittle was the founder of Geneva Machine Works. When he took a partner in his business, the firm name was G. E. Whittle & Co.
1902 Elmer manufactured his own automobile. The making of this vehicle was a crowning feat of his mechanical skill. He used the engine from his old motorcycle temporarily, but expected to buy a new high speed gasoline engine.
1902 In November, Elmer sold his machine shop to George Vodra.
1903 In April, Elmer Whittle and George Vodra had a Notice of Chattel Mortgage. As a result, the equipment was auctioned off.
1903 Geneva Commission House was located south of the Bargain Store in a building owned by Sam Light.
1903 Fred Gaveka operated a well drilling, boring and tiling business. He was also an agent for Dempster Windmills, Lot 5.
1904 In July, the Geneva Commission House ran out of space and moved to the old foundry. They had run out of space for chicken dressing. J. Golden was the manager.
1904 In November, J. H. Freeman and H. H. Benjamin of Beatrice leased the Sam Light property and opened a feed store and poultry house.
1905 Sam Light must have shared a space with the Geneva Cement Stone Co. He had a poultry buying business in his building.
1905 The Geneva Cement Stone Co., began operation in the Sam Light Building with R. T. Dowis and M. Bolton as managers. The business manufactured artificial stone for building and other purposes. Hollow building blocks and ornamental stones were made. Blocks were faced with a coating of fine sand and concrete, making them impervious to moisture. Lath were not used inside. Plaster was applied directly to the cement blocks.
1905 The Geneva Cement Stone Co. moved its property to the end of the Bolton lumber yard at 702 G Street.
1906 The Geneva Cement Stone Co. moved into its new building two blocks east and one block south of the Guthrie mill. The factory was at this location.
1906 In March, Charles Evans opened a tubular well business.
1907 In April, O. C. Bedford opened Bedford Wholesale Produce House in the Light building north of the Lincoln Hotel. He bought stock and produce. He sold eggs, cream, and chickens.His son assisted him in the business. Mr. Bedford came here from Bee, Nebraska.
1909 The Sanborn Map showed a produce station on lot 6 and the building on Lot 5 vacant.
1910 In October, O. C. Bedford bought an ice plant with a capacity of two and a half tons per day. His quarters were enlarged by the building of an additional room and a large ice box. He had capacity for storing a car load of dressed poultry. He planned to manufacture ice to sell in the spring.
1911 In March, Bedford moved into his new building and installed an electric cream tester, a new invention, as this was reported in the Nebraska Signal. Bedford advertised his business as the only independent cream buyer in Geneva.
1911 Bedford asked the city to furnish water for his ice plant.
1912 In January, O. C. Bedford went into the direct shipping business and price was based on New York and Elgin.
1912 In January, he cut loose from all of the creameries and bought and churned all the cream he could get. He had an 800-pound churn which produced 1,000 pounds of butter. The butter was sold in Denver, Lincoln, Omaha, and other markets.
1912 In January, Mr. Bedford objected to the Kirschbraun cream people using his name. He argued for using a local company and getting a better deal.
1912 In June, O. C. Bedford purchased M. W. Dinneen’s ice delivery. Six tons of ice were made each day. Mr. Dinneen then devoted his attention to his ice cream factory.
1912 In September, O. C. Bedford sold his creamery business to Mr. Eddleton of Omaha. The machinery was shipped to Clay Center, Kansas. Mr. Eddleton represented the Harding Creamer Co. O. C. remained in his own brick building located on the west side of the square buying and selling produce.
1915 J. A. Smith opened a monument establishment in the building south of the ice plant, Lot 5.
1917 In Mar., Frank Held moved his tailor shop to the building formerly occupied by the Smith Monument Works. He had been located in the building north of the photo gallery on North 8th Street and then in the building south of Menking’s garage.
1917 In Aug., Frank Held moved to the room next door north of the Walton Barber shop and south of Bentley Plumbing. (130 No. 9th)
1922 Roy and Joe Davis took possession of the O. C. Bedford Ice and Produce business.
1922 In May, the Sanborn map showed a small shop in the southwest corner of Lot 5, listed as an auto shop. The rest of lots 5 and 6 show a produce and ice house.
1922 O. C. Bedford moved to California for a time.
1925 O. C. Bedford moved his wholesale produce house from the west side of the square to the Frank Hafer implement building in the west business block on the north side of the square. (818 G)
1927 In December, Oliver C. Bedford and Lulu Barker started foreclosure proceedings in December against the Davis Bros. on a mortgage involving the ice plant.
1927 M. E. Barker and his son-in-law Hugh Burnett Heath operated the ice plant and produce station, Barker and Heath Ice and Produce. They traded in eggs, cream, poultry, Nutrena Feed and ice.
1929 In January, Mrs. M. E. Barker bought the ice plant at a sheriff’s sale.
1930 O. C. Bedford built a warehouse to the south of the ice plant on lots 3 and 4. On its completion, he and Heath and Heath built the stucco structure between their businesses, part of lot 5, to use as a store room and garage. The frame structure that stood on lot 5 may have been a residence. It was torn down.
1930 Leslie McPeck managed the business until 1934 when he went into the produce and hatchery business for himself.
1933 The Sanborn Map showed a produce store at this location.
1939 Mahlon Barker left the business and Harlan Heath (son of Hugh and Lila Barker Heath) joined the family business. The name then became Heath & Heath Ice and Produce. Father and son worked together until August 1940 when Hugh was seriously injured in an accident at the ice plant. He died as a result of those injuries.
1941 Arthur “Bud” Heath, brother of Hugh Heath, purchased a share of the business.
1942 In September, Harlan was called into military service. He received his discharge in November 1945.
1943 The Sanborn Map showed this as an ice factory.
1945 In December Harlan was married and returned to Geneva where he was again associated with Heath & Heath Ice and Produce. Harlan continued in the family business until 1955 when he moved with his wife and two daughters to St. Joseph, Missouri.
1956 Arthur Heath sold the produce business to Leslie McPeck, but kept the ice and feed business. Arthur passed away in January 1957. After his death, the interior partitions of the plant were removed. The lumber was used by Dean Heath (son of Hugh) and Lou Domeier (son-in-law of Hugh) in various construction projects. The residence at 536 South 11th Street was built using the ice plant lumber.
1958 Lila Barker Heath sold lots 5 and 6 to John R. Friesen and wife.
1971 John R. Friesen and wife moved Fillmore County Implement and Irrigation from 142 South 8th Street to 162 South 8th Street. They later added J. R. Friesen Sign Service.
1978 John R. Friesen retired and sold his drilling and irrigation business. They retained ownership of the building and leased it to various businesses until they sold the property in 1999.
1979 About 1979 or 1980 G-Kay Inc. subleased the building from Williams Drilling. Willis Stover from York, Nebraska bought the trucking business from the estate of W. W. Harrington in 1948. Mr. Stover’s daughter was named Gretchen Kay and he named the business after her. The business was moved from Fairmont.
1979 Richard and Mary Quick bought the trucking business and continued with the name G-Kay Inc. They also had a general repair shop that was managed by Jim Quick.
1979 Williams Drilling from Belvidere, Nebraska operated their well drilling business from this location until 1984.
1981 G-Kay moved their business to 142 South 8th Street.
1986 Dan Ackland operated the Rainbow Body Shop here..
1999 In May, Gary and Carol Reinsch purchased the building from Mrs. John (Geneva) Friesen. They used the space as a warehouse for their business, Geneva TV and Appliance, which was located at 866 G Street.
This was ongoing as of the last posting.