Pictured are steamships along the Chadakoin River in Jamestown. The Jamestown & Lake Erie Railroad passenger station and a brewery are easily visible. Photo Courtesy of: Jack T. Ericson. Reference Credit: American Historical Society Inc.

Did you know that the beginnings of the city of Jamestown date back to the earliest years of the 19th century when James Prendergast and others settled along the shores of Chautauqua Lake?

The first home to be built in the waterfront area that would later become the Village of Jamestown belonged to John Blowers, a Prendergast employee. That was in 1810 and the home was located along the rapids of the Chadakoin River in the area now known as The Boat Landing and McCrea Point Park.

As the river’s swift current there supplied power for saw mills, grist mills and other machinery, this became the area’s original hub of commercial activity. The village of Jamestown was incorporated in 1827 – named after founder James Prendergast. It was not until decades later, in 1886, that the village became incorporated as the city of Jamestown.