One hundred years ago today, Nov. 3, 1908, Savannah was dealt a major blow to the town. There was a major fire which destroyed all of Main Street, including 22 businesses and homes; all burned to the ground.
Even the Syracuse paper dedicates a whole column to the fire in our small town of Savannah stating that the whole business section is gone with 10 families left homeless. The total loss was estimated at $150,000 with only about $75,000 coverage of insurance available to the owners.
Fire is no respecter of time or decades. As we hear of the racing winds and flames of the fires that have burned paths through California, that same scenario was witnessed here in 1908.
However, fire fighting has drastically improved since 1908, but on that early morning the article in the Savannah Times shares that since there were not adequate facilities to cope with the fire, the towns people could only sit and watch the village burn. It had been a dry summer and fall so the cisterns located on Main Street for the purpose of fighting any potential fire were not full so even they failed to make a difference against the fire. Both Clyde and Syracuse fire companies were sent to help with the fire, but with little effect.
It is thought that the fire had started in the brick ovens located in the Malone's Bakery and Hall, and because all the buildings were made of wood, it rapidly spread to swallow the entire Main Street, both east and west sides. The northwest winds of eight to 10 miles an hour were soon doubled by the winds that the fire created, such that many home owners on Seneca Street and Clyde Street (now called Church Street) spent their time on their roofs with buckets of water, putting out any of the ashes that landed on their homes from the fire on Main Street. “The high school and the Methodist church actually caught on fire several times, but both were saved. By 6 a.m., the fire had practically spent its energies, and when the out of town firemen arrived, there was little to do. Even the telephone and telegraph poles were gone. There was about four acres in the center of the village which now looks like a barren waste, hardly a stone standing. It was most desolate in appearance.
The following homes and businesses burned that early morning: two hotels, The Newton House with 40 rooms and The Savannah House with 100 rooms for rent; two meat markets, Smith's Meat Market and Colvin's; Giddings Drug Store and L.C. Sherman's Drug Store; three hardware stores, W. Wile's Hardware, Austin and Myers Hardware and Hadden Brothers Hardware; two barber shops, J. E. Calkins and F. I. Fields; four general stores, D.J. Cotton (General Merchandise), Smith and Reed Brothers General Store, O'Clate Silver's Furniture, General Store and Undertaking Store and Giddings General Store; two bakeries, Malone's and Ray McNair's Confectionary Store and Ice Cream Parlor and Tobacco Shop and Ladue#'s Candy Store; two saloons, Dayton's and Fitch's; two storehouses belonging to John Munson and Wethry and Sherman's Storehouse; Egnor's Millinery Store; Farrand's, a jewelry store and bike rental shop; Attorney E. M. Harvie's office, dentist Dr. Enmin's office; The Savannah Times printing office; Art Baggerly Print Shop and Shoe Repair; The Independence Telephone Company Office, the Post Office, Perry Morgan's office, the Masonic Hall, Grange Meeting Room; Conroe's Meeting Hall; The Gregg Opera House; and D. J. Cotton's Temperance Movement called I.O.G.T Hall( I, Often, Get, Tight) along with the residences of Mrs. West, A.J. Conroe and R.S. Giddings.
Wow. It is hard to believe that in one night all those businesses were burned and gone. Articles regarding the fire often asked the question of what would be the future of Savannah. The Savannah Times is quoted to say: “Ask if Boston, Baltimore, Chicago or San Francisco have been rebuilt? There is more pluck, energy, enterprise and persistence to the square inch in Savannah than in any other place on earth.”
As I look from Main Street today, I see a thriving Savannah Bank, NA, R-Bar Sports Bar, A and P Auction House, Crusoe Island Cafe, Hidden Treasure Gift Shop, Port Byron Telephone Co., the Post Office, Main Street Restaurant, Frank Donk's Garage, The Veteran's Park, the Savannah Town Hall, Furman Communications, Dave's and the Town Barber Shop and Barnes Boy's Garage.
All were built in brick buildings so they will not burn down because of a fire. Yes, Savannah does exhibit that spirit that the great fire of 1908 did not ruin; nor did the depression of 1929 or the floods of 1972 or the large land purchases by the federal government and New York state's Department of Environmental Conservation for the Wetland Project.
The people of Savannah continue to endlessly work together to provide a place where families can live together experiencing the rich history of Savannah's past with a hope that the future of Savannah will continue to make the best of all of their challenges.
Carol Spellman proudly lives and writes from her home in Savannah. You can reach her at spellmanjc@tds.net
Fire is no respecter of time or decades. As we hear of the racing winds and flames of the fires that have burned paths through California, that same scenario was witnessed here in 1908.
However, fire fighting has drastically improved since 1908, but on that early morning the article in the Savannah Times shares that since there were not adequate facilities to cope with the fire, the towns people could only sit and watch the village burn. It had been a dry summer and fall so the cisterns located on Main Street for the purpose of fighting any potential fire were not full so even they failed to make a difference against the fire. Both Clyde and Syracuse fire companies were sent to help with the fire, but with little effect.
It is thought that the fire had started in the brick ovens located in the Malone's Bakery and Hall, and because all the buildings were made of wood, it rapidly spread to swallow the entire Main Street, both east and west sides. The northwest winds of eight to 10 miles an hour were soon doubled by the winds that the fire created, such that many home owners on Seneca Street and Clyde Street (now called Church Street) spent their time on their roofs with buckets of water, putting out any of the ashes that landed on their homes from the fire on Main Street. “The high school and the Methodist church actually caught on fire several times, but both were saved. By 6 a.m., the fire had practically spent its energies, and when the out of town firemen arrived, there was little to do. Even the telephone and telegraph poles were gone. There was about four acres in the center of the village which now looks like a barren waste, hardly a stone standing. It was most desolate in appearance.
The following homes and businesses burned that early morning: two hotels, The Newton House with 40 rooms and The Savannah House with 100 rooms for rent; two meat markets, Smith's Meat Market and Colvin's; Giddings Drug Store and L.C. Sherman's Drug Store; three hardware stores, W. Wile's Hardware, Austin and Myers Hardware and Hadden Brothers Hardware; two barber shops, J. E. Calkins and F. I. Fields; four general stores, D.J. Cotton (General Merchandise), Smith and Reed Brothers General Store, O'Clate Silver's Furniture, General Store and Undertaking Store and Giddings General Store; two bakeries, Malone's and Ray McNair's Confectionary Store and Ice Cream Parlor and Tobacco Shop and Ladue#'s Candy Store; two saloons, Dayton's and Fitch's; two storehouses belonging to John Munson and Wethry and Sherman's Storehouse; Egnor's Millinery Store; Farrand's, a jewelry store and bike rental shop; Attorney E. M. Harvie's office, dentist Dr. Enmin's office; The Savannah Times printing office; Art Baggerly Print Shop and Shoe Repair; The Independence Telephone Company Office, the Post Office, Perry Morgan's office, the Masonic Hall, Grange Meeting Room; Conroe's Meeting Hall; The Gregg Opera House; and D. J. Cotton's Temperance Movement called I.O.G.T Hall( I, Often, Get, Tight) along with the residences of Mrs. West, A.J. Conroe and R.S. Giddings.
Wow. It is hard to believe that in one night all those businesses were burned and gone. Articles regarding the fire often asked the question of what would be the future of Savannah. The Savannah Times is quoted to say: “Ask if Boston, Baltimore, Chicago or San Francisco have been rebuilt? There is more pluck, energy, enterprise and persistence to the square inch in Savannah than in any other place on earth.”
As I look from Main Street today, I see a thriving Savannah Bank, NA, R-Bar Sports Bar, A and P Auction House, Crusoe Island Cafe, Hidden Treasure Gift Shop, Port Byron Telephone Co., the Post Office, Main Street Restaurant, Frank Donk's Garage, The Veteran's Park, the Savannah Town Hall, Furman Communications, Dave's and the Town Barber Shop and Barnes Boy's Garage.
All were built in brick buildings so they will not burn down because of a fire. Yes, Savannah does exhibit that spirit that the great fire of 1908 did not ruin; nor did the depression of 1929 or the floods of 1972 or the large land purchases by the federal government and New York state's Department of Environmental Conservation for the Wetland Project.
The people of Savannah continue to endlessly work together to provide a place where families can live together experiencing the rich history of Savannah's past with a hope that the future of Savannah will continue to make the best of all of their challenges.
Carol Spellman proudly lives and writes from her home in Savannah. You can reach her at spellmanjc@tds.net
Citizen
Hot Jobs
New! Off the Menu
The Citizens' Say
Post your comment - click hereThere are No comments posted.