THE FIRE THAT ONCE ATE DOWNTOWN TAUNTON

While working on the Star and New York Lace Store histories with the last few posts,  I found mention of the fire that long ago almost ate downtown Taunton.  Of course we do not remember it!  It took place in 1859!

The late Charles Crowley speaks of it in one of his Old Tyme Taunton You Tube videos which I include here. He permitted me to use his work and I am honored to do so.

Amazingly, an article still exists in the Taunton Public Library archives telling posterity as well as the people of the time exactly what happened. We now combine new digital technology and the paper microfiche to describe that fire. Plus- add the voice of Charles Crowley, too.


In the 1880's this is what some of the downtown looked like. The tip of School Street as it comes into Main St. is shown in this photo.  No problem finding a parking space then!!  Horse and buggies were transport of the day.  Imagine the quiet!

In the 1880's here is what fire fighting apparatus looked like  at the Weir Fire Station (courtesy C. Crowley).  This is undated but is likely from the time of the fire.

Fire has been a primal fear since the history of man began. It could start and consume in moments. But, it could also warm on a cold night and cook food while lighting a dark night.  It was the taming and the timing that took learning through the ages.  The Great Fire of London was a huge disaster but it put an end to the Bubonic Plague ravaging the City by burning the rats and mice and all of the wooden beds harboring them that would be replaced by metal.

In 1838  there was a fire in Taunton, Ma that destroyed all the original town records.  When I had done research in Plymouth, MA I found out that the same had been true for them at one time.  Fire does not discern , it just does its thing.

Nearly every major city in the world has been burnt to the ground at least once in its history, some repeatedly and with all kinds of causes.

BOSTON 1872- The most expensive fire in terms of property damage of any U.S. fire burned downtown Boston's business and financial district. It burned 65 acres of businesses and jobs as well as 20 people. 706 buildings were destroyed.  The amount of lost jobs and businesses was what puts it at the top as the most expensive.

CHICAGO 1906- 17, 000 structures burned and 300 people died. It is a myth that Mrs. O'Leary's cow started it, rather most likely a transient smoking in a barn. The result was the emergence of a brand new downtown Chicago and one of the finest fire departments in the country.

PRESHTIGA, WISCONSIN 1871- same time as Chicago but rarely mentioned though it caused more deaths than any other fire in U.S  history.  It lay waste to 12 communities in an area the size of Rhode Island. The little town of Peshtigo lost their entire population: 1,700 souls. Firestorm even created a tornado during this horrific event.

Fire can destroy and cause incalculable pain and death. It is not to be trifled with, our Fire Departments today know that.

Now we come to our post's main event: our own Historic Taunton Fire

           
On November 27th, 1859 this great fire occurred  in downtown Taunton.
Here is a photo taken the day after the 1859 fire. It was an aerial taken from the corner of the Green and Weir St.  The large building the left (where Woolworth's would once be) was a Veteran's Home.
In order to construct a fire break and halt the fire dynamite was used to destroy the building that would house Goodnow's in the future.

The Extra Edition of the Gazette at the time listed the following businesses as perishing.  The names read like a history lesson.

2-clothing stores
Oak Hall clothing store /Samuel Colby
Woolen goods/Hodges Reed
Foster and Barnes: Tailor

2 book and drug stores
Mr. Barker's Book Store
Ezra Davol-publisher
F.S. Monroe- Book and Drug Store
---

2 jewelry stores
H.L. Horr's Jewelry
E. F. Tisdale, Jeweler
----

   Henry Perry's hat, boot and shoe store
-----

2 -hardware and furniture stores
-----

2 printing offices
Christopher Hack: Printer
Telegram Printing Office
-----

4 saloons
Simon wilbur.victualling saloon
Mr. Gideon Congdom- Victualling Saloon
----

2 carpet and dry good stores
C. Bryant and Co dry goods and carpeting.
----

1 milliner shop
-----

2- daguerrotype establishments
Paddock R. Reed: ambratypist
H. B. King- daguerrotype

----

1-harness shop
H. S. Washburn
----

1-coffin warehouse
Philo Washburn: undertaker
-----

1- fish market
William H. Lincoln Fish Market
----

1-insurance office
-----

1-lawyers office
James Brown, Esq.
----

A.S. Sweet hairdressing salon
----

1-dentist office
Dr. Julius Thompson

1 billiard saloon
Peter Chick: Billiards Hall
----
Grocery Store
William R. Reed & Co. Grocer
-----
2 Painters Shops
Cornelius Wyatt
S.L. Hall
----

Hardware Store: 3 1/2 stories
Issac Wahburn

-several small tenements

The fire originated in the confectionary salon of Asa Waterman in Washburn's Block, Main St.  It was discovered by Waterman Potter, watchman, about 3 a.m. and was of "doubtful origin", starting in the basement of the building and spreading to the first floor. . The Gazette noted that the Fire Department rendered as much aide as it was able (read, not much).  It also went on to say that:

"The day generally was noted for an excusable amount of Sabbath breaking by our own good citizens whose necessities prompted them to labor early and late and by an inexcusable amount of thieving and outright robbery (our modern times hold no exclusive on that)."


Interesting that the Fire Station on the corner of Leonard and School Sts. served the City at that time and minus the horses remains pretty much the same...excuse the photos. please.

This was quite an historic event in the history of Taunton. I am sure that there are others that we have yet to discover.  If you read A History of Taunton by Dr. William F. Hanna   this tome will deliver an incredible amount of history well worth reading. It can be purchased from The Bristol County Historical Society in Taunton on Church Green.


To watch an excellent presentation of the 1859 Taunton Fire as well as the history of downtown I urge you to see this Old Tyme Taunton program with Charles Crowley.

                               https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ5bFZPgZ24

                    If you cannot access it, it is OTT #299 Downtown Taunton on You Tube.


This has been a departure from our usual posts, but I thought it so fascinating that you would all enjoy it, too.  Perhaps, some of these shopkeepers and professionals were your relatives....who knows.  No matter, it surely meant starting all over for our once upon a time downtown.

                                                                ............................

Thanks to the archives of Charles Crowley, to Aaron  Cushman of the Taunton Public Library
Research Department and various and sundry Internet Historic data sites.