Clay County AlArchives News.....Town of Ashland has first Fire.  February 14, 1907
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Linda Ayres http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00031.html#0007674 February 17, 2023, 6:34 pm

Birmingham Post-Herald February 14, 1907
Every town must have its first fire. This misfortune came to the town of Ashland 
yesterday morning about 3 o’clock, the firing of guns and the ringing of bells 
awaking the sleeping citizens to find the business section of the town in 
flames. The fire started in the law office of H.L. Black on the second floor of 
the old “drug store," on the southeast corner of the square. It had reached such 
headway when discovered that it was impossible to enter the building, so the 
entire stock of goods on the first floor, owned by Judge E. A. Phillips, was 
consumed, as was the new law library of Mr. Black on the second floor. Neither 
carried any insurance. 
The fire soon reached the adjoining building, owned, as was the first, by Judge 
Phillips, and occupied as a meat market and restaurant. The next building was 
that of Black & Harris, general merchants. There being no wind the fire moved so 
slowly that the larger part of the goods from this store were removed. Their 
loss will be light as the stock amounted to only about $5000, with $3500 
insurance. 
A twenty-foot alley was all that saved the remainder of the houses on the South 
Side, but by tearing away part of the building just across the alley and keeping 
water thrown on the roof from the adjoining brick building, the fire was 
confined to the three stories. This last building was a complete wreck and 
cannot be used again. It was used by B.W. Pruet as a storage room for flour and 
grain. The entire stock of J. W. Hooton & Bro. was removed from the brick 
building for it appeared for a while that all would be burned. Their loss is 
considerable from damage to the goods from moving, but they are fully covered by 
Insurance. 
The buildings burned were all wooden and were all to be removed this spring to 
make room for three large bricks, and it will be only a matter of time to get 
the material on the ground before work will begin on the new store. The work on 
the courthouse is being pushed, and Clay will soon have one of the prettiest 
court houses in the state.


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