History of Jamestown, New York, USA

Name: Jamestown, New York, USA
Address: Jamestown, NY, USA

Journey back in time to Jamestown, New York, USA

Visit Jamestown, New York, USA. Discover its history. Learn about the people who lived there through stories, old newspaper articles, pictures, postcards and genealogy.

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Jamestown is named after James Prendergast, an early Chautauqua County settler. His family purchased 3,500 acres (14 km2) in 1806, in the area now known as Chautauqua County. James Prendergast explored the area that is now Jamestown. Prendergast saw the area to be valuable, and so he purchased 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) of land in the area in 1808. In the fall of 1809, Prendergast and an employee, John Blowers built a log cabin, which became the first building in Jamestown. Another log cabin as well as mills and a dam were built on the Chadakoin River later on. In 1855, Nightwatch was created for the purpose of looking out for fires.

Jamestown was incorporated into a village in 1827 and incorporated into a city on April 19, 1886.

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1854 - Jamestown
Jamestown, a thriving post-village of Ellicott township, Chautauque county, New York, on the outlet of Chautauque lake, 21 miles S. E. from...Read MORE...
1868 - A business firm in Jamestown, Chatauque county N. Y., lately inserted a nine column advertisement in the Jamestown Journal.
A few days thereafter they sold in one day goods enough at retail to amount to over thirteen hundred dollars.
St. Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan
August 8, 1868
1885 - Ex-Governor Reuben E. Fenton died suddenly Tuesday while sitting at his desk in the First National Bank at Jamestown, N. Y.

St. Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan
August 29, 1885
East Third Street
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South Main Street
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Third Street
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1891 - A FATAL HOTEL FIRE. THREE WOMEN AND A LITTLE BOY BURNED TO DEATH.
Jamestown, N. Y., Nov. 23 - Three women and a boy were burned to death between 1 and 2 o'clock this morning in a fire which gutted the Old Homestead...Read MORE...
1895 - Jamestown
Jamestown, a handsome city of Chautauqua co., N.Y., at the junction of several railroads, and on the navigable outlet of Chautauqua Lake, 27 miles...Read MORE...
Y.M.C.A. Building
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Jamestown, N.Y.
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Boat Landing at Jamestown, N.Y.
postmarked 1908
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1910 - JAMESTOWN HAS A MILLION DOLLAR FIRE - THE GOKEY BUILDING AND SHERMAN HOUSE TOTALLY DESTROYED AND TWENTY FIRMS SUFFER LOSSES.
Fire Started From Flying Embers in a Blaze on Saturday, and Continued Until Eight O'clock This Morning.

Jamestown, March 14 - Shortly after one...Read MORE...
The Seven Churches
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High School
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Jamestown's New Municipal Hospital
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Fire Department and City Hall
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1916
Jamestown, a city and summer-resort of Chautauqua co., N.Y., on the navigable outlet of Chautauqua Lake, 69 miles S. by W. of Buffalo, on the Erie...Read MORE...
1921 - The City of Jamestown
The first white man to seriously consider the place now Jamestown as a possible site for settlement was James Prendergast, and it is from him that...Read MORE...
Prendergast Free Library
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1929 - CITY HALL ROCKED BY BOMB BLAST.
Jamestown, Jan. 15, (AP) - A bomb planted in a public rest room of the City Hall late yesterday badly damaged the interior of the room and injured...Read MORE...