FIRE
OF 1890
A
detailed account of it follows. Visualize picture on left [shown at right]
and note buildings destroyed by the holocast that fateful night.
The
Great Fire of May 9, 1890 which wiped out everything on west side of Broad
Street from Old Bank Building to railroad track started in W.
W. Forrest Barber Shop and caused $40.000 damage. The Grove
City’s business was practically wiped out. The flames were first seen in
the barber shop, just north of the bank building now occupied by the Grove
City Hardware Company. It was discovered by Homer,
Hays and others about 2 a.m. May 9th. The people responded to the
alarm of fire and worked heroically to stop the flames. Bucket bridgades
(sic) were formed, but it was soon found to be useless, and the greater
number gave attention to saving all property possible as the fire
progressed.
The
flames communicated with the Buffalo Clothing House building on the south,
and that occupied by G. B. Hornet on the
north. Several pianos and organs were removed from the Homer store, but
fire-fighters had to work fast to keep ahead of the approaching flames,
which were sweeping northward. The next to take fire was the millinery
store and residence of Mrs. M. I. Hay and
following it were the buildings on to the railroad; S.
P. Barr, grocer and confectioner; D. Kerr,
grocer; H. W. Koonce, dry goods and
groceries; D. G. Courtney, office and
residence; W. J. Harshaw, dry goods and
groceries; A. C. Bligh & Co., drugs; W.
H. Craig, restaurant; C. A. Rice,
barbershop; A. K. McCandless, groceries and
feed; Robert Veach, restaurant; A.
G. Stein, residence and tailor room and the P. S. & L. E.
Railroad Station.
A calm wind was blowing toward the north. This
allowed the goods removed to be placed in the lots and alleys along the
opposite side of the street. A great effort was made to check the
destroying advance at Harshaw’s store, by
tearing away Courtney’s Residence, but the
flames were upon them before this could be done and this, too, had to be
abandoned The next effort was directed to the depot but on account of the
great heat and the steepness of the roof it went, also.
During
the burning of the north end of the row, the station and the Stein
residence, Stewart's livery barn on the
corner of Railroad and Center Streets became imperiled as did also the
house occupied by A. A. Little, over the
railroad and opposite the depot, and the residence of Miss
Lizzie Love in the adjoining lot at Railroad and Broad
Streets. These, however, were saved with considerable work.
The
stables, warehouses and other outbuildings along Filer Alley and back of
the row of buildings burned, were consumend, together with most of their
contents. A. G. Stein's tenement houses
had a narrow escape.
At
one time during the earlier part of the fire, it was feared that the
residence of J. C. Glenn, jewelry store of H.
F. Whitney and millinery store and residence of Mrs.
Kate Luke would take fire. Had it not been for the solid and
fireproof brick building of the Grove City Bank Company which stood
between them and the fire, it, too, would have been destroyed.
As
the flames leaped from building to building along the row, it was
necessary to protect those on the opposite side of the street. The
harness shop of D. G. Hay, the Grove City
House, I. N. Fithian's drug store, Arbuckle
building, the old Pine Grove Bank Building, owned by J.
L. Cochran, and the Central Meat Market, were all damaged.
The hotel was considerably scorched, while the glass in fronts of others
was broken.
The
damage was estimated at $40,000, partly covered with insurance.
Neighboring towns assisted in combating the flames, which were visible 25
miles away.
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