Southampton County Virginia USGenWeb Archives Newspapers.....Fire, 1935 

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"Suffolk (VA) News-Herald," Vol. 13, No. 192, Mon., Nov. 4, 1935, p. 1 

COURTLAND'S FIRE LOSS IS NEAR $40,000 

Residents of Southampton County's Capital Salvaging What Remains of Half of 
   Buildings in Business District Razed By Flames Yesterday 

  Courtland residents today surveyed the mounds of twisted steel and coals, 
cooled after a night of drizzling rain, and estimate at $40,000 the damage of 
yesterday's conflagration, which destroyed more than half the village's 
business district. 

  The origin of the fire, which razed six frame buildings and damaged three 
others, together with their contents, was still undetermined. 

DIFFERENCE AS TO ORIGIN 

  Some said it started at Fred Barker's "Sonny South" grocery.  Others 
suggested Williams' garage as the starting point. 

  None saw the blaze before it swept over the row of frame buildings.  R.C. 
Grady, passing through the Southampton county seat town at 6 a.m., reported 
fire to a telephone operator in a building adjoining the burning structures. 
The operator spread the alarm and put in calls for aid to Franklin and Suffolk 
fire departments. 

WHAT SURVEY REVEALS 

  A survey of the destruction today shows: 

  Completely destroyed: Williams' garage; D. Pender's grocery; C.W. Parker's 
grocery; Fred Barker's grocery; E. Whitfield's dry goods store; W.J. Sebrell's 
seed store and cotton and peanut commission office. 

  Damaged: McLemore's drug store; J.H. Johnson's cafe and grocery store, 
concrete side walk in front of the row of buildings. 

JOHNSON STORE DAMAGED 

  The front of the Johnson store, which stood on the south side of the main 
street, was damaged considerably by the flames leaping the narrow highway. 

  McLemore's drug store appeared wrecked.  Although firemen kept the building 
from burning, it appeared doomed and practically the entire contents of the 
store, including the heavy fountain, were moved out into the street. 

  Handicapped by having no hydrants to connect lines with, firemen organized 
a bucket brigade among Courtland residents and 
    (Continued on page six) 


p. 6 

        Courtland's 
    (Continued from page one) 

fought the flames with a small line from the "booster" tanks on the big fire 
engines.  The lines poured little more water than average garden hose, but it 
halted the fire after a five-hour fight against odds. 

FRAME BUILDINGS DOOMED 

  The frame buildings between the garage and the drug store were doomed from 
the beginning, in the opinion of firemen, so they concentrated on either end 
to prevent further spreading.  The Franklin company took up its station at 
Williams' garage, on the east, and the Suffolk engine fought at the west end. 

  With the wooden buildings burning like tinder, the fire generated so much 
heat canned goods in the grocery stores exploded and flew through the air like 
a pyrotechnic display. 

  John King, assistant chief of the Suffolk company, was burned on the jaw by 
an exploding can.  C.W. Williams, owner of the garage, had to have his hands 
treated for burns.  So did Sheriff T.B. Bell, who burned a finger in moving 
furniture from one of the buildings. 

****************************************************************************** 

"Tidewater News" (Franklin, VA), Vol. 31, No. 5, Fri., Nov. 8, 1935, p. 1 

Courtland Business District Loses Heart of Principal Block In Disastrous 
   Blaze Sunday 

Unprotected County Seat Town Watches Damage Mount Into Thousands of Dollars 
  as Five Stores Burn.  Franklin and Suffolk Fire Departments Battle Flames 
  with Chemicals, Courtland Bucket Brigade Doing Staunch But Futile Duty. 

LOSS IS ESTIMATED AT UPWARDS OF $25,000.00 

  Swept by the second fire within the space of a week, the town of Courtland 
lost five of its principal stores, others being damaged, in a blaze that began 
early Sunday morning and leveled to the ground the firms of C.W. Parker's 
grocery, the "Sunny South Store," operated by Fred N. Barker, a D. Pender 
store, the store and office of W.J. Sebrell and the general store of E. 
Whitfield.  The front of the J.H. Johnson grocery store on the other side of 
the street, a cafe building and side of McLemore Drug Store standing across an 
alley from the Whitfield store, were badly damaged. 

  R.C. Grady, Suffolk circulation manager of the Virginian-Pilot, is credited 
with the discovery of the fire at around 6 o'clock Sunday morning as he came 
through Courtland.  He got in touch with the Courtland telephone office, from 
which alarms were sent to Franklin and Suffolk for aid.  When the fire 
departments of these towns arrived on the scene the blaze was in an advanced 
state, and efforts were confined to preventing the spread of the flames.  The 
Suffolk department sprayed chemicals on the side of McLemore Drug Store, which 
was badly scorched, loss of stock 
      (continued on page six) 


p. 6 

COURTLAND BUSINESS DISTRICT IS SWEPT BY DISASTROUS BLAZE 
     (continued from page one) 

and equipment resulting, but affording enough protection for the store to open 
for business as usual on Monday morning. 

  The local fire squad worked on the eastern end of the burning stores, saving 
the garage building owned by C.W. Williams from destruction.  The shed of the 
building projecting over the sidewalk was torn down, lessening the danger of 
the garage's igniting, the brick walls also offering an effective buffer to 
the flames.  The wind blowing across the street from a northeasterly direction 
placed all the buildings on the opposite side in jeopardy, but the Standard 
Service Station, set back from the street, was not damaged. 

  Every available man and boy of Courtland volunteered for service on a bucket 
brigade, which worked long and hard but was not able to accomplish much. 
Courtland having no water mains and consequently no fire protection, chemical 
equipment was the nearest thing to effective fire-fighting that could be 
employed.  While the Nottoway River flowed calmly by with an inexhaustible 
supply of water only a few score yards distant, citizens were forced to 
witness the steady destruction of the core of Courtland's business section. 
Wires of the Virginia Electric and Power Company and of the East Coast 
Telephone Company were burned down but replaced soon afterwards. 

  Belief that the fire was of incendiary origin was supported by the fact that 
a jimmied cash register with a burnt match in it was found in the ruins of the 
C.W. Parker store, although there is difference of opinion as to where the 
fire started.  Exploding shells from one of the stores kept up a startling 
accompaniment to the roar of the flames.  A Suffolk fireman was hurt by an 
exploding can of over-heated beans, Sheriff T.B. Bell and C.W. Williams of 
Courtland being also treated for burns. 

  With a loss of from one to six thousand dollars for each store destroyed, 
the total loss is placed at between twenty-five and thirty thousand dollars, 
less than half of the amount being insured. 


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