Mahoning County OhArchives News.....Beardsley - Fire Sweeps Dairy Plant at Dean Hill Dairy Farm on 11 Aug 1942 August 15, 1941
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Jennifer Neff ffen@zoominternet.net February 1, 2006, 6:34 am

Mahoning Dispatch, Fri, 15 Aug 1941 August 15, 1941
Beardsley - Fire Sweeps Dairy Plant at Dean Hill Dairy Farm on 11 Aug 1942
A spectacular fire which could be seen for over 20 miles destroyed the barn, 
horse barn, smoke house, machine shop, garage and milk bottling plant with all 
contents at the Dean Hill Dairy farm two miles northwest of the village about 
9 o’clock Monday evening. The fire was discovered by a passerby, who turned in 
the alarm, but the blaze spread so rapidly that the Canfield, Boardman and 
Austintown fire departments, with six pieces of equipment, could save only the 
brick house, to which the milk bottling plant was attached. Nearly all the 
house furnishing were removed, as it seemed unlikely the structure could be 
saved. The barn, one of the largest in this section, contained 100 tons of 
hay, 1,000 bushels of oats and 557 bushels of wheat. Three prize bulls and 
nineteen head of young cattle were also burned, as was all farm equipment, 
including a tractor, threshing machine, and the extensive equipment of the 
pasteurizing and bottling plant, with the exception of hay-making machinery, 
which was stored in a barn across the road. Firemen were handicapped by a 30 
mile-an-hour gale, blowing flames from the barn directly toward the house, and 
100 feet in the air.
The farm, owned by H.J. Beardsley, is operated by his son, Dean, who with his 
wife was vacationing in Canada at the time. Seventy –two head of dairy cattle 
had been turned out to pasture after the evening milking. Cause of the fire is 
undetermined. Hundreds of motorists, attracted by the blaze, jammed all roads 
in the locality and made it difficult for firemen to reach the scene and to 
haul water from Canfield hydrants. State highway patrol and deputy sheriffs 
took charge to clear the roads. Mr. Beardsley estimates replacement of the 
buildings and equipment would cost over $40,000, which was partly covered by 
insurance.



Additional Comments:
Comment on the aforementioned 11 Aug 1941 fire
The story as Dean and Geneve Beardsley told it to me in 1987
By Jennifer Neff – I now reside in the brick home that escaped the blaze
The Beardsley’s had one of the largest dairy farms in the county. Dean and 
Geneve were out of town the day the barn burned. [According to a Mahoning 
Dispatch article the frame of it had been raised in 1890 by Almus Beardsley 
who was Dean’s great grandfather.] Dean’s brother was watching the house and 
farm while they were away. He left to run a few errands and when he returned 
the fire was well underway.
Dean said that some 20 head of cattle were lost in the fire and Geneve added 
that most were young calves. Dean explained, “The livestock was located 
towards the rear of the barn, and the fire was in the front of the barn. 
Sadly, there was no way to rescue them.”    

Jim Allen says that he was just a young boy when he and his father witnessed 
the fire. Jim remembers someone shooting the cattle - to put them out of their 
misery; however, who that was is unclear. He remembers that someone handed a 
rifle to Dean, but Dean didn’t have the heart to shoot and asked if someone 
else would please do it. [However since Dean wasn’t even there, Jim’s story 
may not be remembered correctly.] 
The fire was so hot it broke the windshield on a fire truck which was parked 
in the drive near the front of the house. The back windows of the house were 
shattered by the heat. The rafters started to catch fire. Dean’s brother 
pumped water from the cistern, which was under the front porch, to cool the 
slate roof; however, after the water had been circulated over the roof a few 
times it became so hot it began to boil and could no longer be pumped.
Dean said, “We lost our barn that day and if it hadn’t been for my brother, we 
may have lost the house too. One rafter in the house had to be replaced and 
the attic was a smoky mess. The garage on the back of the house was lost. I 
rebuilt the garage exactly where the original stood, and then built the milk 
house in the rear so I could continue the dairy business. Pine trees were 
planted where the barn stood.”  


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