8th – I helped Mr. Frazier hook Bell with his Charley horse and we drove her about halfway to Chilli. Then back to his home. I stayed & ate dinner with Mary, then I went to Utica & visited the School. Ate supper with Prof. C. G. Pruitt at Lemon Hotel. After supper I went over to Arthurs & we went to the Prayer meeting at Fred Shermans. I led the meeting.
It’s slim pickens again as Professor C. G. Pruitt/Prewitt/Prewit yields nothing in the 1900 federal census. If anyone knows about this guy please send us an email! It is possible that Jesse is picking up a letter of recommendation from his old teacher and friend to take with him for when he applies for jobs in the Northwest and in California.
The Lemon Hotel at Fellows and Vanson Streets is one of the few structures still standing that has any connection with Jesse. Utica History, written by Lois McCain, details the history of the building:
One of the most interesting buildings in Utica, which still stands and is occupied, is the old Utica Hotel. Its present owners are Stephen E. and Wilda (Peters) Locke. They have restored it and graciously take interested persons on a tour of it. They are retired builders from Gary, Indiana. Mrs. Locke is a native Chillicothian and upon retirement became interested in this building she had known as a child.
The house was built in 1836 by Edward and Susan Mead. It was sold to and
occupied by Edward, George, and Wm. Van Zandt who sold it to Roderick and Catherine Matson [Roderick Matson named the town of Utica after his hometown in New York]. In 1838 they sold it to Wm. Hudgins who held the first warranty deed. He left Utica and purchased a large tract of land in Mooresville. It changed hands frequently with thirty owners over that period to the present time.
The original house consisted of four rooms downstairs and with two upstairs. Every room had a fireplace. The inside and outside walls are 18 inch thick solid brick. Each room on the first floor had its own solid rock foundation and a crawlway large enough for a person to crawl through it. Heavy quarry rocks were used for the fireplaces. Only two fireplaces were in good enough condition to restore them and be used now. The architecture is that of the Greek Revival period. The woodwork in the four original rooms is of native black walnut and parts are beautifully carved. The original key holes in each door were made of coin silver.
An additional four rooms were built on in 1856. These rooms had lower level flooring and ceilings. The woodwork was of different wood. The house consists of nine rooms and a large attic; an outside porch on both floors; and a widow’s walk. It is believed the first time the residence was used as a hotel was by Mrs. Anna Waters, a widow. This was a way in which a woman of her day could earn a livelihood. Another widow, Lucy Lemon, purchased it for about $800 and operated a boarding and rooming house from 1904 to 1930. Since that time it has been used as a residence. [Based on Jesse’s diary, Lucy Lemon was operating it in 1901.]
