September 13, 2016

The Thomas G. Reames house at 540 E. California Street grew along with Reames’ family and his prosperity. In 1852, a 13-year-old Reames had driven a wagon across the Oregon Trail and then worked as a stevedore for the Hudson Bay Company. The lure of gold and land brought him to Jacksonville 2 years later. Over the next few years, Reames served as deputy sheriff, ran a livery stable, and finally opened a mercantile business. By the time he was 28, he was sufficiently prosperous to court and marry his wife Lucinda and purchase the deed to this property. The Reames house began around 1864 as a rectangular structure with a porch across its length. By the turn of the century, it had become one of Jacksonville’s more palatial homes.