| Ransom E. Olds was born in Geneva in
1864 and lived here until 1870. A monument on West Main Street marks the site of his birth and the family home at the time. R. E. Olds went on to originate the Oldsmobile and Reo automobiles and mass production of automobiles, a concept which Henry Ford later modified with use of the assembly line. A business founded in Geneva by Pliny Olds, the father of Ransom E. Olds, was continued by the family after they moved from Geneva in 1870. After Ransom grew old enough to join the business it was named P. F. Olds & Son Machinists. That business, founded in Geneva, evolved into the Olds Motor Works in Lansing, Michigan, and eventually became the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors. |
Edith Thomas was born in Geneva and lived at the northeast corner of South Forest and Eastwood Streets. She began writing poetry while a Geneva resident. After leaving Geneva she became an internationally acclaimed for her poetry in the 1880s and 1890s. When she passed away, newspapers in London and Paris wrote that she was the greatest female poet since Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
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Walter L. Main, while a resident of Geneva, had an outstanding career in the circus business during 1887-1939. His Walter Main Circus, headquartered in Geneva, was at a time one of the largest traveling railroad circuses in the world. |
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Four different brands of automobiles were manufactured in Geneva during 1901 to 1926. The brands were: the Geneva, a steam-powered car, the Ewing taxicab (click on image of the Ewing to enlarge), the Heifner, and the Young truck. Buildings where some of these vehicles were made are still in use today. |
At least four future U.S. Presidents visited Geneva. Abraham Lincoln spoke briefly from the train on the way to his inauguration in 1861. James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, and William McKinley spoke in Geneva at the dedication of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on August 4, 1880. Benjamin Harrison campaigned here while running for President in 1888.
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The grave of Platt R. Spencer, located in Evergreen Cemetery on Eastwood Street in Geneva, is visited by people from near and far every year. Platt R. Spencer (1801-1864) (click on image of Platt R. Spencer to enlarge) was a resident of Geneva township. Among his many accomplishments he developed the Spencerian system of handwriting and is known as the Father of American Penmanship. There is a Spencerian Penmanship seminar with lessons by masters of the style held in the area each September. |
The Champion Hardware Company, which operated in Geneva from 1902 to 1956, was a nationally-known maker of builders and cabinet hardware. (click on the picture to enlarge) In addition, the company at various times made cast iron toys, banks, bookends, doorknockers, and other items now sought by antique collectors nationwide. Some of the original factory buildings are still in use today by other concerns. Many people come to Geneva to see the factory site, though it is not open for tours.
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Bob Dylan almost certainly hitchhiked through Geneva on Main Street (U.S. Route 20) on his legendary 1961 trip from Minnesota to visit Woody Guthrie in the hospital in New York City. While no one has been found who saw Bob thumbing a ride in Geneva, you can still walk the same path traveled by one of the giants of American music at the dawn of his career, a moment forever etched into our popular culture.
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Geneva is located in a unique micro-climate for grape growing. The result is that Geneva is surrounded by many grape vineyards and wineries. Dozens of varieties of high quality local wines are available in many wineries and retail outlets for the pleasure of visitors and local residents. One of the largest town festivals in Ohio, the Geneva Grape Jamboree, has been held in Geneva annually starting in 1964. The festival is held the last full weekend in September. It draws tens of thousands of visitors to Geneva every year rain or shine. (click on the picture of the Grape Jamboree to enlarge) BEST OF ALL...Geneva has its old time, traditional downtown business district largely intact and still in use. A large number of the buildings were built approximately between 1880 and 1910. There are a wide variety of interesting shops and restaurants waiting for you to discover. As an antidote for suburban sprawl, EXPERIENCE THE BEST OF YESTERDAY'S SHOPPING EXPERIENCE...TODAY...in historic Geneva, Ohio.
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