Jackson's Great Halloween Fire Of 1913

EDITOR'S NOTE: The following account of Jackson's Big Fire was written by the late Mrs. M.H. Holliday Sr., to mark the 40th anniversary of the worst fire in Jackson's history, the great Halloween Fire of 1913. It has been published before. (However, since 1998 marks the 85th anniversary of the fire, it seems timely to once again remember this event.) Even though it was thought to be a tragedy at the time, the fire was probably a blessing in disguise for Jackson. It removed many of the old wooden buildings which were replaced by new ones built of stone and brick. Mrs. Holliday, a former editor and owner of The Jackson Times, was considered an expert on local mountain history. In her day she played a major role in the affairs of this county. The photos accompanying this article are from the collection of the late Lillie Frasure and Charles Hayes. Some dates have been updated in the article.

By Mrs. Malcolm H. Holliday, Sr. - 1953

To many of the older citizens of Jackson, the approach of Halloween bears a more significant meaning than black cats, spooks, and pumpkin lanterns. This date brings to the memory of those older folks who were residents of Jackson on October 31, 1913, the BIG FIRE. It was in the early evening of that day that the biggest conflagration ever to hit the little quiet mountain town of some 1,200 people, struck with full force, When the flames had subsided and a rough estimate made of the loss, 34 buildings had burned, 27 families had been made homeless, and about one-third of the town's business houses had been wiped out. The loss was set at $200,000. But what, at the time, seemed a tragedy, proved a blessing later. Soon a new building program set in, under a new and more modern ordinance which zoned the burned area, and all new structures, most of which are the buildings now standing, replaced the ones destroyed by the fire.

1998 marks the 85th anniversary of that fire. It was the most disastrous fire in the town's history, but there were no lives lost and very few accidents reported during the fire fighting. Four corners of the town's two center streets, Main and Broadway, were completely wiped out. Business houses, homes, and churches alike were destroyed. In most instances the furnishings went with the buildings. The alarm echoing through the stillness of the early twilight from pistol shots, bells, and screams from people in the fire areas, sent people from their homes in a mad rush. Almost within seconds after the first shot was fired, the light from leaping flames pierced the spreading darkness.

Many of the town's young people were already on the streets, and older folks too, for it was Halloween and the usual celebrations were already scheduled. A party for the young people was to be held at the Presbyterian Church, and a dance by the adult young folks was to be held at the skating rink that evening. A band had come from Lexington to furnish the music for the dance. Both the skating rink and the church burned that night.

All too soon the fire spread from building to building, and up, down, and across the streets in the four directions, until the people in the stricken area were compelled to flee for their lives. Bucket brigades, for there was no fire department, were powerless to cope with the situation. Only by recognizing the impending danger and turning attention to saving the furnishings of the homes and business houses in the stricken area were the people able to salvage any of the property. What was carried from the buildings in the way of merchandise, household goods. clothing, etc. were practically all made worthless through the breakage and water. Much of the goods had to be moved a second time when the fire exceeded the expected distance and spread into wider territory.

Notwithstanding the seriousness of the disaster which befell the many people on that night and the fact that they had already suffered so heavy loss, looting of salvaged goods was prevalent. Only lights from the slowly dying flames and coal oil lanterns penetrated the darkness of the late hours that night. Many valuables, carried to places of seeming safety, were later found to be missing by the owners. Pilferers were active and with all attention turned to the comforting of the stricken people and efforts being made toward providing shelter for those left homeless, looting was an easy racket. It had been said that in the early hours of the next morning people were awakened from sleep in the nearby rural areas by the sound of a banjo or the strings of a guitar strummed by the pilferer as he made his way home after the fire.

The fire was reported to have started in an apartment on Broadway near the previous site of the Post Of fice building and was caused by a kerosene cook stove left burning when the owner, a Mrs. Metcalfe, went to a moving picture show earlier that night. The building, a two-story frame structure with apartments on the second floor and business rooms on the first, connected with other similar buildings along Broadway. The Thompson Hotel, operated by the late J.J. Snowden, and one of the largest buildings in that section was located between the apartments and the corner of Broadway and Hawk Street. The fire soon leveled those buildings arid spread across the street to the property of Doctor Gardner on the corner of Cherry Street. There it spent its fury in that direction, but the flames were fast spreading along Broadway and up and down Main Street. From the corner where the Rose building now stands the flames fanned across the street to the corner of the Redwine building occupied by the Bach Furniture store and up both sides of Main Street.

The Patton building stopped the fire on that side of Broadway and the Cardwell building held it at that point. Up Main Street, the two churches, Baptist and Presbyterian, were destroyed, the Hotel Jefferson with a vacant lot adjoining being the end of it at that side. All the buildings from the corner of Main and Broadway to the alley at the H. June Jett Store, then owned by Green Haddix, were burned. Street intersections proved no barrier for the fire that night as the flames reached across the streets and crossings to start anew in all directions. Except for a few of the buildings, they were all frame structures.

Water was a serious problem that night. The only available being from wells and because of the in- tense heat it was impossible to go near the wells and cisterns close to the burning buildings. Much of the water was carried by the bucket brigades from the courthouse well and others a distance away.

Many of the people who were living in Jackson at the time of the BIG FIRE later gave their accounts. Among them were the Mayor of Jackson, at that time, Lewis Hays. Mr. Hayes said, "There was nothing we could do about it, the wind was against us, and our bucket brigade was powerless to stop it. When the fire was over I appointed several policemen to watch it for about three days. Soon after the fire I called a special meeting of the city council, and we passed an ordinance regulating or zoning the town and designated the locations where only brick, concrete, or stone buildings could be constructed. Many objected and insisted that they could not build back in such a manner. I told them if they rebuilt frame structures, the same thing might happen again. Soon after that fire we bought a hand operated fire engine."

Mr. Hayes stated that he was the first elected mayor the town had ever had. The late Charles Little, appointed by the governor, was serving at the time of his election. Mr. Hayes served as Mayor of Jackson for eleven years. One of his sponsored laws was the prohibiting of cows running at large in the city, by the approval of an ordinance passed the city board. Four members of that board were: Dr. F.H. Riffle, W.M. Bailey, Price Sewell, Sr., and J.R. Blake.

The late H. June Jett remembered that he and Walter Deaton being in Jackson that night, carried seats from the Presbyterian Church just before it burned to the ground. Mrs. Hallie Thompson said that she was living on Main Street on the lot adjoining the Holliday building at the time her home and all adjoining buildings burned. Dr. Thompson and the late O.H. Swango had offices in the second story of a drugstore on the corner which was operated by Chester Duff. J.R. Blake who at the time owned and operated a general merchandise business in his building on College Ave. stated that the Post Office was moved to a part of his building after the fire and remained there until the Federal Building on Broadway was built. That building was finished in 1916.

Not long after the fire a site was purchased from the Redwine family which owned much of the properly along Broadway from Main to Hawk Street for the new government building. This building was approved by an act of Congress under the sponsorship of the late Congressman John W. Langley.

Miss Addie Lyons, member of the Presbyterian Young Peoples group, recalled plans for a party to be given that night at her church, and that she had baked a pie and taken it to the church before the fire started. Pie, plate, and all burned with the building. Mrs. Sallie Haney, formerly of Jackson has a picture of Broadway made sometime before the fire destroyed that section of town. In this picture is shown the frame structures which connect along both sides of the street with only two brick buildings among them. The unpaved streets in winter proved a hazard for any kind of traffic. Mud often reached the axle of the mule-drawn wagons, the town's one and only hack, operated by a hotel to meet the trains and to carry the mail.

Two well-known men of Jackson, at that time, to be recognized in this picture are T.M. Davidson, a merchant who is standing in front of his store, and A.S. Johnson, who can be seen standing near the insurance office which was operated by J.H. Hammonds and Lewis Hayes. Mr. Hammonds had established a skating rink in Jackson a few years previous to the fire, and Mrs. J.W. Adams stated that a Halloween dance had been arranged to be held in the skating rink. A band had come from Lexington to play for it, and late that night, after the fire and people had quieted some the band went to the Hotel Jefferson and played till early morning, entertaining those who would come and join in the hospitality of the hotel management.

The pictures which we are using in connection with this account of the BIG FIRE will be recognized by the people who lived here at that time. These pictures are loaned to us through the courtesy of Mrs. Lilly Frasure, daughter of the late Frank Smith, one of the men who worked hard in an effort to save the Presbyterian Church and its furnishings that night.

Redwine House

The most outstanding building which escaped the fire, as shown by these pictures, is the.Redwine home, former home of the late J.C.C. Bach. The property was owned by the late Dr. J.S. Redwine, as was much of the property along that section of Broadway at the time of the fire. Only by hard fighting was this building saved.

Insurance

Speaking of the fire and what its resulting damages were, Dr. F.H. Riffle, local pharmacist said, "I very well remember that fire for I lost my drugstore and had no insurance on any of it.,, He went on to say that he had failed in an effort to secure insurance on his business because of certain regulations, but was to have had a policy issued to him four days after the date of the fire.

At that time not many residents of Jackson were carrying insurance. The rate was extremely high because of the lack of a water system and no city fire department. The main reason being that the buildings in the town were most all frame structures, causing a fire hazard in most instances.

Barbershop

In one of the pictures shown, our readers will note a street barber serving his patrons in the open. As can be seen, he has more than the usual number of onlookers.

After the fire had burned out and people were able to give attention to conditions as they existed, they began making plans for taking care of those left homeless and without food and clothing. Homes of the town were opened up, and the larger families divided so that all were given shelter and the necessary comforts, until they could reestablish themselves. We remember that some of the women of Jackson, who were out of the fire district, gave their time to the making of clothes for the needy ones.

It was a bare and desolate looking section of Jackson that was laid waste by that terrible fire, but with the coming of Spring, and even sooner, the people who owned the property in that area began making their plans to rebuild. Others purchased lots and started construction, and with the locating of the new Federal Office Building on Broadway, new interest and enthusiasm took hold, furnishing the impetus for a new and more modern town. One new building was followed by another and soon the burned area no longer gave signs of what had happened. Funds were raised by subscription of members and friends for the construction of the two churches destroyed in the fire, and larger and more modern structures stand today to prove the faith and loyalty of the mountain people in religious work.

While some of the families effected by the fire moved to other sections of the town, or left Jackson, they were in the minority for the larger portion stayed here and went through the period of reconstruction showing their willingness to trust their lot among us. During later years, following the wars, some of these families located elsewhere, but their moving away was not the result of the fire.

The faith of those people has been rewarded by the progressiveness of the town which today has paved streets, a modern water system, a city fire department, natural gas for home and commercial use, a good electric system which also provides for home and commercial use, as fine churches as grace any city of near the size of Jackson, large stores of all kinds, highways that lead in all directions, good rural roads to most all sections of the county, and as fine schools as one would expect to find in cities much larger than Jackson. Two high schools and a junior college are also located here. Numerous civic organizations sponsor worthwhile movements in the interest of the young people in this thriving mountain city of 2,100.

Yes, the BIG FIRE was a tragedy when it struck Jackson on that night 85 years ago, but out of that disaster has come a blessing which is recognized by the older folks who live today to recall that fire, and the younger ones who have grown up or moved into our town.

(Note: In recent years Jackson has suffered several fires along Broadway and College Ave. Sadly, new buildings have not been built on the vacant lots which does little for the looks and atmosphere of downtown Jackson.)