 |
| Looking North Along Markest St, after the 1874 Fire in Selinsgrove Did civil war soldiers return from the war so traumatized that they set their own town on fire? Or did a local man start the fires as retaliation after his brother was sent to jail for murdering the town Doctor? To this day, no one knows for certain. All that is know is that for nearly three years, the town of Selinsgrove had an arsonist. |
In the 1870's, the town of Selinsgrove was on fire. Literally. A series of fires, "incendiary in nature", plagued the town. In 1872, the largest fire the town had yet seen destroyed 30 some buildings and caused nearly $100,000 in damages.
 |
| The Rubble of the Pine Street School - Closer view of the photo above. |
Some speculate that the arsons were the work of civil war soldiers, dealing with trauma from the war. The fires stopped, but the crimes were never solved.
At 6:45pm on October 30th, a fire was discovered in a frame stable in the rear of Schnure's block. "Before the alarm was fairly given, the stable was one mass of flames."
Heavy winds from the west moved the fire quickly into Schnures and Bakers blocks, where the buildings were wooden timber boxes.
 |
| The Methodist Church |
The flames immediately attacked Rohrbachs store and dwelling on the opposite side of Main street, and that building "succumbed to the devouring element before the steamer could get water."
The whole portion of the town between the main road leading to Middleburg from the Isle of Que, on both sides of Main street, and up to Charles Howeres resident and the Governor Snyder mansion, was on fire when the Good Intent hook and ladder truck and Washington steamer arrived from Sunbury. |
\
On the East Side of Main Street: E.R. Rohbach's house and store, Ebye house, Keysont eHotel, Wenrick's Saloon, App's Building, Ulsh;s drug store, Bower's dwelling house, Z.S. Kelly's residence, Henry Millers Residence and Insurance, C. Boyer's Hardware store, and the roof off of the old Governor Snyder mansion, which was at the time owned by S.S. Alleman Esq.
On water street, Sweneforts dwelling, the Time printing office, the dwelling of F. Weirick Esq, The Methodist episcopal church, and on the east side of Water Street, rick and Berstressers tannery, and all outbuildings.
1874
A 3rd fire, in January 1875
 |
| 1875 |
READ MORE
This is the first I ever heard of the devastating fires that changed the face of Selinsgrove forever.Never did I hear of any one talking of the fires...or I was just too young to care. My family moved there in the summer of 1947, after the war. Apparently the Pine Street school which I attended for 9 years, was the "new" Pine Street School, razed to make room for the Public Library, now on the site. I enjoyed reading of the history of my home town.
ReplyDelete