Caldwell County MO Archives History .....FIRE OF 1884 IN HAMILTON 
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Karen Walker khw4@yahoo.com September 4, 2008, 1:48 pm

THE FIRE OF 1884 IN HAMILTON
	Narrator:  Robert Minger

     Mr. Minger ought to know about this fire, because it was in his father's 
store and home that the fire started.  He was then about 9 years old.
     It started in the John Minger grocery-restaurant the present A.P. store 
site, midway in the first block east side north of the railroad.  It was 
discovered a little after four o'clock in the morning of July 5, 1884, and was 
supposed to have been the result of Fourth of July firecrackers blown under 
the ware house in the rear of the store, where the coal oil tank was kept.
     At any rate, Flora, the boys and Mrs. and Mr. Minger who lived over the 
store were awakened just in time and barely escaped with their lives.  Of 
course, they lost all their household goods and clothes.  One door north was 
the Hill's saloon and above, lived the Mitchell family who also narrowly 
escaped.  In all, nine buildings all frames except the Dr. Tiffin block at the 
south end, burned within an hour and it was only stopped at the south end of 
Anderson's block (Bram store present building).
     The heat of the fire badly cracked the plate glass windows on the 
opposite side which had been rebuilt in brick after the fire of 1883.  The 
fire losses were as follows according to Mr. Minger who has a wonderful memory 
for details of Hamilton history.  
  John Minger, building and store goods, household goods,
  Dr. Tiffin store brick building, C.B. Franke frame building,
  A.A. Hill's saloon fixtures and goods, Mitchell family goods
  H.F. Hughes harness shop goods, Bryan Gibson the building,
  W.J. Ervin, his third fire, as he said, Drug store building and drugs,
  M.E. Lievan, Meat market supplies,
  S.H. Swarts, Sewing machines and building,
  A.C. Simpson, jewelry stock,
  Whitt and son, dry goods stock,
  Anderson Brothers damage to south wall of brick block.
     The same year part of the burnt district was rebuilt.  Two rooms were 
built by John Minger, one by S.H. Swarts, one by Dr. Tiffin, all being built 
as a solid block of buildings, and they still stand.  The rest of the block 
was rebuilt within a year as it now stands.
     Interview  1934.


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