In 1912, Arthur B. Ottaway, county judge of Chautauqua County and Mrs. Myrtle Redfield Nixon were united in marriage on this morning. The wedding was a very quiet one. No invitations were issued and only the near relatives and immediate friends of Judge Ottaway and Mrs. Nixon were present. The marriage service was performed in St. Peter's Episcopal Church, the Rev. William Birge officiating. Seldom had there been a wedding service performed in Chautauqua County in which there would be more interest than to the marriage of Judge Ottaway and Mrs. Nixon. Both had a host of friends who would join in congratulations and good wishes.
The site of the old Josephus Clark foundry building, just south of West Fourth Street in Jamestown, which was being razed to permit the erection of a modern garage, was the scene of no little excitement in the morning when a portion of a brick wall was toppled over. Although the toppling of the wall was planned by those in charge, the crash, the breaking of an old beam by the falling brick and the clouds of dust which arose, attracted a big crowd of people.
In 1937, Frank F. Pickard, for many years proprietor of the old Pickard House at Bemus Point, which his father built in the eighties, died Thursday evening at his home in that village, aged 74 years. He was the oldest inhabitant of the village in point of years, having lived there since the age of nine. Mr. Pickard was educated at the district school at Dewittville and the Jamestown Union School and Collegiate institute. His parents operated the Picard House at Bemus Point for many years, the first hotel being rebuilt in 1889 after it burned to the ground. He succeeded his parents in operating the hotel, retiring about 20 years ago. The hotel changed hands in later years and was torn down about six years ago.
Carrier salesmen for the Jamestown Evening Journal gathered at the Journal plant, 12 West Second Street, this day for a discussion of their problems and later were taken on a tour of inspection of the plant. The meeting was in the charge of Edward D. Eckman, circulation manger and was attended by 120 boys and young men, representing both city and suburban carriers. At the conclusion of the inspection of the plant they were guests of the Journal at a dinner at noon at the YMCA. Later they were taken to the JHS-Lackawanna H.S. football game at Washington field. Immediately following the football game the boys were rushed to their routes with this day's issue of the Journal.
In 1962, little Roger Goodell, held by his father, Rep. Charles E. Goodell, wielded the scissors at a ribbon cutting ceremony marking official opening on this morning of newly rebuilt Washington Street to through traffic. Others at the ceremony were Mayor William D. Whitehead, Franklin W. Bigelow and William P. McFadden, chairman of the observance. The street, between Twenty Third and Fluvanna Avenue, would be the scene of a gala street dance from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m., the following evening when about $2,000 in prizes would be given away. The reconstruction project on Fluvanna Avenue and Washington Street began early in June 1961 and cost about $885,000.
A display of high buttoned shoes, from which milady could make her choice in the 1880's, was viewed at the morning's opening of "Main Street U.S.A." The display of early American shops was sponsored in Jamestown by the Retail Merchants Association of Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with "Old Fashioned Frontier Days" this day through Saturday. The exhibit was housed aboard two special railroad cars at the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad station and admission was free.
In 1987, early Tuesday evening, Jamestown residents would break from dinner for the same reason - to devise a fire escape plan and try it - as a call would go out on television screens across the nation to "Plan To Get Out Alive." That was the aim of McDonald's restaurant officials who had coordinated a fire safety program with the Jamestown Fire Department for the third day of National Fire Prevention Week, which would begin Oct. 4 and end Oct. 10. "I think a lot of people will do this," said fire Lt. Douglas W. McCullor, head of the fire department's fire prevention bureau. "Even if we don't get 100 percent participation, if we get people thinking and talking about it (an escape route) maybe they will remember one little detail that makes the difference should there be a fire," he added.
Southern California set to work to clear the destroyed buildings and sea of shattered glass left by the region's most powerful earthquake since 1971. The previous day's disaster, which officials called a dress rehearsal for a "Big One" yet to come, killed at least six people and injured more than 100. The temblor lasted only 10 to 15 seconds but crumbled dozens of buildings, damaged hundreds of houses and tossed heavy pieces of furniture about like toys. Sixteen aftershocks followed.