Opened by German immigrant Gustave Jaeckel, this hotel was a showplace in early 20th century Statesboro, hosting celebrities like Henry Ford, William Jennings Bryan and Cornelius Vanderbilt. After closing in the late 1960s, it was acquired by the city of Statesboro in the 1990s and renovated for use as City Hall.
Blind Willie McTell played here when he lived in Statesboro. The Thomson native and iconic bluesman wrote many blues standards but is best known for his “Statesboro Blues” (famously covered by the Allman Brothers Band).
The beautiful AAA hotel neon was restored in 2012 by the Bulloch County Historical Society and the Jack N. & Addie D. Averitt Foundation.
East Main Commercial Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
My mother, Barbara Olewine, began the dance studio at the Jaeckel Hotel in the mid 1970’s because there was no dance instruction for blacks in the community. She also taught baton twirling because there were no black majorettes at the high school. Mike Olewine
Throughout the 1980s, into the early ’90s, it was also used as a ballet/dance school. Barbara Olewine’s School of Dance held classes at the Jaeckel Hotel, teaching 100s of Statesboro’s young folks how to dance. I spent HOURS and HOURS in what was once the hotel’s bar/restaurant /ballroom under her careful and expert ballet instruction. I have very found memories of wandering around that place.
**fond memories, not “found.” ** 🙂
I should comment every time. Your work is beautifully and lovingly executed. Born in Alabama, but Georgia? Always on my mind.
Thanks as always for your interest and kind words, Catherine!