May 17, 2012Policeman George Kendall
Located on the south shore of the Chadakoin River at South Main Street
On the afternoon of June 18, 1915, 24 year old Jamestown police officer George "Red" Kendall responded to a reported double shooting in the Shaver Block located in Brooklyn Square. When he arrived at the scene, he and a fellow officer flipped a coin to determine who would enter first. Losing the toss, George entered a dark lower hallway and began to ascend the stairs.
A drunken and angry 41 year old Fred Shaver, perhaps because he had recently been disinherited by his father, had already shot and killed his 27 year old step-mother and his 67 year old father in an upstairs hallway. As George climbed but a few stairs, Fred Shaver mad George Kendall his third Victim. After a lengthy standoff, Fred Shaver was shot and killed by officers stationed across the street.
The Shaver Block was razed in 1973 during Brooklyn Square Urban Renewal. This marker is believed to be within several feet of the actual incident based on viewing of old photographs and knowledge of the area as it once was.
POLICEMAN GEORGE KENDALL
OF THE JAMESTOWN POLICE DEPARTMENT GAVE HIS LIFE ON JUNE 18, 1915. HE WAS SHOT WHILE RESPONDING TO A DOUBLE SHOOTING IN THE SHAVER BUILDING WHICH OCCUPIED THIS SITE. THE KENDALL CLUB, POLICE BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION WAS NAMED IN HIS HONOR.