So many little pieces of Jamestown history hide in plain sight. We pass them every day and either we never see them or we do not know their stories. One such item is on the front of the Hotel Jamestown at West Third and Cherry Streets in downtown Jamestown. The next time you pass by the Hotel, notice the “Heraldic Devices” on the Third Street façade of the hotel.
The December 31, 1924 edition of the Jamestown Journal was dubbed “The Hotel Jamestown Edition”, as it carried several stories and advertisements related to the grand opening. There was a separate article in that edition entitled “Meaning of Hotel Arms” with a subheading of “Explanation of Heraldic Device Which Adorns the Front of the New Hotel Jamestown.”
The story went on to explain the symbols on the “heraldic devices”. The ship in the center of the crest signifies travel and commerce. “As this hotel is largely devoted to the traveling to public, this emblem is very appropriate,” the story related.
The oak leaves signify strength, with the symbolism being that the hotel “denotes the strength of our community.” The two swords are a symbol of chivalry, “which meant in the old days, security and protection for the weak. Inasmuch as the hotel management is supposed to look after the security and protection of those that trust themselves within its walls, the emblem of the swords in this instance does not signify war but peace.”
On the sides, there are bundles of sticks tied together topped with axes. The sticks signify in unity there is strength and “the battle axe alone will be of no value unless it is surrounded by the unity of many.” The building of the Hotel Jamestown was accomplished through a community effort in raising the funds and local businesses providing a great majority of the needed supplies.
In the bottom corners are laurels, which denote victory.
The story concluded, “We have an emblem that signifies strength by the oak tree, protection to its guests by the emblem of the swords, progress and commerce by the emblem of the ship, and success because of the unity and strength of so many banded together, and finally victory, which is denoted by the laurels at the foot of this design.”
The Hotel Jamestown will turn 100 years old in December 2024. It opened its doors to the public on New Year’s Eve 1924. The December edition of the Walnut Grove Press will have an in-depth story on the grand opening of the Hotel.
