Category Archives: Fires

Edith Martin, teacher & heroine

Posted on February 7, 2017 by editor

Teacher Edith Martin may have saved 30 children by forcing them out a second-story window as flames consumed Thayer’s Caldwell School on Feb. 16, 1903. An Illinois State Register special correspondent described the rescues in a highly colored account published … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Children, Education, Fires, Schools and school districts | Leave a comment

Ridgely School fire, 1916

Posted on February 3, 2017 by editor

Regular fire drills were credited with saving the lives of an unknown number of children when Ridgely School caught fire in the middle of classes on Nov. 15, 1916. The blaze began when sparks from the school’s coal furnace flew … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Children, Disasters, Education, Fires, Schools and school districts | Leave a comment

Carver Convalescent Center fire, 1972

Posted on January 15, 2017 by editor

Investigators never agreed on the cause of the fire that killed 10 residents of a shabby nursing home on May 6, 1972. The number of deaths make the fire at Carver Convalescent Center, 1527 E. Washington St., the worst single … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Disasters, Fires, Public health | Leave a comment

Bressmer department store fire, 1948

Posted on December 11, 2016 by editor

Fire caused by a lightning bolt destroyed the John Bressmer Co. department store in downtown Springfield early on May 2, 1948. First reports estimated damages of $2 million. Even though that figure was later adjusted downward to about $1.3 million, … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Business, Department stores, Fires | 2 Comments

Boston Store fire, 1915

Posted on November 30, 2016 by editor

What was thought to be Springfield’s most disastrous fire ever, up to that point, demolished The Boston Store on the east side of the downtown square on Dec. 7, 1915. The Boston Store was part of a loosely affiliated chain … Continue reading →

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Most costly fires in Springfield, 1904-48

Posted on November 30, 2016 by editor

The following list of the most destructive fires in Springfield history was published in the May 3, 1948, Illinois State Journal. The list is based solely on the amount of property damage. Damage estimates are not adjusted for inflation. Preliminary … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, Business, Department stores, Disasters, Fires | 4 Comments

Stable fire, 1915

Posted on November 19, 2016 by editor

Fifty-one horses were “roasted and steamed to death” in a fire that destroyed a stable owned by Ira Dudley in the 900 block of East Washington Street on Sept. 15, 1915. The fire was discovered by two men walking along … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and vice, Disasters, Fires | Leave a comment

‘Boarding house horror’ fire, 1899

Posted on November 6, 2016 by editor

Three people died on Feb. 4, 1899, in a fire the Illinois State Journal called a “boarding house horror.” The victims – boarding house operator Martha “Mattie” Withey, retired grocer J.C. Hall and 67-year-old Helen Rose – were among 21 … Continue reading →

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