Caldwell County MO Archives History .....FIRE OF 1886 IN HAMILTON 
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Karen Walker khw4@yahoo.com September 4, 2008, 1:47 pm

THE FIRE OF 1886 IN HAMILTON
	Narrators:  Roy White, George Dudley and others

     It was on a Thursday morning Oct 1, 1886 when the big fire broke out on 
the east side of south Main street in Hamilton, and made a clean sweep of the 
whole block except the Walker elevator which stood a little detached from the 
others on the north, by the tracks.
     All the buildings were frame except one brick, the fairly new Prentice 
brick (Junction cafe corner).  All were old, possibly the original ones built 
in the late 60s or early 70s, all had sheds in the rear which helped spread 
the fire.
     Mrs. Grigsby, widow of the merchant Grigsby says that it started in his 
hardware store.  He had been burning a lot of scrap papers, fairly stuffing 
the stove, without noting that the pipe was getting hot or any uncommon 
result.  Some of the paper went up thru the second floor onto the shingles and 
set his place on fire and it got a fine start before being discovered.  The 
fire went both ways, for he was in the middle of the block.  At Prentice's 
brick on the corner, it turned east to Will Moffitt's novelty planing works, 
and Griffin's wagon shop (which had stood there a long time) but did not take 
the Graer new brick blacksmith shop, location of Johnson garage.  It went 
north too, as the list below will show.
     The fire company here was helped by the Cameron Fire co. who had been 
called by telegram and came down on the 11 o'clock freight.  The fire broke 
out at 9:30 and was going fine at 11, threatening to go across the street 
south to Colby's lumber yard and the McBrayer livery barns, which then covered 
the whole block between them.
     The O'Neil who lived in the present Murrell house on South Main stripped 
their house of furnishings, fearing the fire, and the Dodge family (living in 
the present Kennedy home across from Colby's) did the same, for the wind was 
from the north and no one could yet tell where the fire might go.  Many 
burning timbers were carried for blocks and people were busy keeping their 
roofs wet.
     In all, one brick and 7 frame buildings were burned (the interviewer 
verified the narrator by reference to old files of papers).  The losers were:  
we begin at the north end of block:
  Tom Neal saloon, building owned by Enos Dudley and Neal.
  Jim Collins meat market, in Jacob Prough's building, 
  with Lew M. Love in law office above.
  L.L. Grigsby hardware in his own building.
  C.I. Ford and son harness shop (managed by John Fronk) in R.G. 
Whitman          building.
  R.L. White grocery (present Howard grocery site) father of Roy and 
Ralph        White of Hamilton.
  Gid Prentice hardware, above him was L.D. Van Volkenburg insurance man 
and      Dr. Price dentist, all losing their equipment.
  To the east, The Moffit Novelty Works, and Griffin's wagon shop.
     It was this fire that drove Jim Collins to his familiar site in the 
Maning building across the street (site of First bank).  It drove the harness 
shop to north Main, first door south of the Minger building where for several 
years a harness shop afterwards stood.  By a strange fortune, Mrs. Emma Kiddle 
had just an hour before removed her household goods from storage in the 
basement of the Prenice store.  The buildings on the west side of the street 
opposite were badly damaged by this fire.
     Many declare this was the worst ever in the town history.  Yet the fire 
was a blessing in disguise, for it brought more bricks instead of the old 
frames.  For a long time, there was quite a gap on that side of the street 
where the buildings had stood, but this was finally built up by the ironclads 
which now stand there.  
     In those days, it was customary for teachers to let out the schoolrooms 
where children were old enough to help with fires, in carrying out things or 
with water.  On that day, most of the school children were turned loose.  
Everyone was on the streets watching the fire, and no one ate much dinner.
     In a big fire those days, it was customary for some one of each family to 
stay at home while the other went to the fire, for such occasions had proved 
to be chosen by sneak thieves who entered homes and took things.  Merchants in 
the path of the fire hired men to remove their goods, as Mr. White, but Mr. 
Prentice and some seemed paralyzed and let their goods be burned.
     This fire description as given by these men who were interested vitally 
in its work is of value to show the merchants in 1886 on that street and the 
general conduct of a fire 50 years ago.
     Interviews  1933.


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