Central Baptist Church Fire News Coverage, 1888

 

The January 22, 1888 fire that gutted the Central Baptist Church was a devastating blow for the community. Middleborough Four Corners was initially developed by a group of Baptist activists who were responsible for establishing a commercial and industrial base there, and they also constructed Middleborough center's first church, the Central Baptist Church in 1828. Sixty years later the Middleboro News documented the disaster, clippings from which still survive.

Heatwave and Drought, 1911

One hundred years ago, Middleborough experienced an extended heatwave and drought, then one of the most severe on record. 

July 3, 1911, was reported as the hottest day for many years with the temperature hitting “101 in the shade at the postoffice at noon.”

Masons who were at work on the stonework of cellars here had to give up.  Farmers in South Middleboro and the Green neighborhood quit the hayfields early [on the morning of the 4^th], the horses and men not being able to stand the rising heat from the newly mown hay…. The railroad sectionmen suffered greatly and finally had to give up work.

Local cranberry bogs were seared from the combination of excessive heat and a lack of rain, and cranberry growers held all water possible in reserve in their reservoirs.  Fears were widespread that much expensive crop and timberland would be destroyed were a fire to start. 

Fires, in fact, did start.  “During the intense noonday heat” on July 3, a fire was discovered in the woods between Plymouth and Plympton Streets east of the Nemasket railroad station at the Green.  “Available men in the village were summoned by the sectionmen.  They fought the fire for three hours, finally extinguishing it.”  The house of Edward Buchanan was threatened, but saved by a last minute change in the wind direction which pushed the fire into the Meetinghouse Swamp.

While men were busily engaged fighting the Green fire, elsewhere in Middleborough in possible in preparation for festivities on the fourth, Middleborough police cracked down upon the illicit sale of alcohol, which some may have sought as a relief from the heat.  Chief of Police Harry Swift and his men seized a number of packages containing illegal alcohol which were being shipped by the Eagle Express Company at Middleborough.  “The chief claims that there were several packages of liquor wrapped up and marked to the name of the owner but that the collection of packages was placed inside a large hamper which was locked and not marked on the outside as to the nature of the contents.”

The heat continued through the middle of the month, causing the death of 69-year-old Sarah W. Howes at her Center Street home.  “She was found on the floor and had expired about an hour before found.”

Without rain, local woodlands remained tinder dry.  A more serious woods fire was started near Tispaquin Pond July 15, and was attributed to a careless smoker who had been blueberrying.  The blaze, fueled by the dry woods, spread rapidly northeastwards towards Thomastown, “endangering the residences of Charles Taggard, Josiah Thomas, Joseph Thomas, Benjamin Hathaway and others.”  Though the fire was believed to have been brought under control on the afternoon of the 15^th, the following day a gang of firefighters was called out to fight the fire which was once more out of hand.  The men remained at work all through the night, and the fire was forced underground where it burned into the peat.  The potential for a long-burning fire was high, “unless there is a drenching rain to extinguish it”.  Watch was kept on the fire which continued to burn underground for a number of days, and though it failed to break out, it spread towards a valuable woodlot owned by Joseph Thomas near the intersection of Purchase and Chestnut Streets.  The fire was not brought fully under control until the end of the month.  Before it was extinguished, it destroyed some $5,000 worth of standing and cut timber with Charles Taggard and Josiah Thomas being the biggest losers

Given the cause of the fire, woodlot owners throughout Middleborough not surprisingly posted no trespassing signs on their properties. 

Especially is this true of the huckleberry patches, and some farmers threaten to prosecute anyone gathering berries on their land.  The reason is the prevalence of woodland fires.  The berry pickers, the land owners believe, smoke in the woods and swamps, and occasionally a fire starts from it.

Though heavy rains finally came towards mid-month, they had very little effect, and it was noted on July 25^th that “even the heavy rains do not appear to revive vegetation to any marked degree.”

Great fields of grass are burned brown, and it is improbable that there will be a second crop off the land this year.  Garden truck is short, and prices are accordingly high.

Based upon the failure of a large portion of the vegetable crop, the prospect for the fall’s cranberry crop was bleak.  Ironically, hopes for a high yield for 1911 had initially been high.  The cranberry crop had escaped the June frosts which in some years previous had plagued growers.  The drought and hot weather, however, dashed these prospects, and growers by July were estimating that half the crop would be lost.

Blossoms which were plentiful withered and came to naught, it is said, on account of the terrible heat, and some bogs look like a red blanket, where the sun burned them.  This was on “dry bogs,” which have no water flowage facilities.”

Such dry weather had not been recalled by most within living memory in either Middleborough or Lakeville.  Percy Robbins of Lakeville who formerly required rubber boots in order to mow his fresh meadow was able to do so in just a pair of sneakers, so dry had it become.  One local tradition in Lakeville held that “hay was never cut, made and gathered into the barns unless nature sent a rousing rainstorm to wet it.  The countryside says that for 20 years or more the hay has always got a wetting, but this year it was cut and harvested without a drenching.”

Finally, the heatwave and dry spell broke at the end of July, when a series of storms passed through the region.  One violent storm on July 28 carried high winds which blew off a portion of the tin roof of the Peirce Block at the corner of Center and North Main Streets.  Fortunately there was no one in the street below at the time, as the torrential rain had driven everyone indoors.

Illustration:

Original photograph courtesy of busymonster.  Republished under a Creative Commons license.

Sources:

Brockton Enterprise, "Fought Fire Three Hours", July 3, 1911; "Seize Liquor at Middleboro", July 3, 1911; "Quit Work at Middleboro", July 4, 1911; "Expires from the Heat", July 13, 1911; "Middleboro", July 17, 1911; ibid., July 19, 1911; ibid., July 20, 1911; ibid., July 23, 1911; ibid., July 25, 1911; "Half a Cranberry Crop", July 26, 1911; "Roof Off in Middleboro", July 29, 1911

Lightning Strikes Twice, 1918

Rock Baptist Church, Highland Street, Rock, MA, real photo postcard,
early 20th century.  The view depicts the 1852 church which was constructed
on Highland Street and which burned December 4, 1918.  To the left of the
church may be seen the Ephraim Tinkham House (1767) and the Baptist
Parsonage (c. 1872) on Miller Street.

Contradicting the old adage that lightning never strikes in the same place twice, was the experience of the Third Baptist Church of Middleborough at Rock whose meetinghouse on Highland Street was struck by lightning twice - in 1905 and 1918 - ultimately burning to the ground following the second strike.

In August 1905, the building was able to escape destruction due to the fact that it was struck on Sunday when the janitor was still present to give alarm.  The fire, however, pointed up the need to insure the building against loss which was subsequently done.

During a storm on December 4, 1918, lightning struck the church roof "midway between the two rear windows.  Even while the roof and the walls were all ablaze the streak left by the lightning was plainly visible."

The lightning strike ignited the church and a call was made to the Middleborough Fire Department, with Combination No. 1 responding quickly.  Before the church was engulfed in flames, local residents were able to remove some of the church furnishings and "the piano [was] gotten out safely."

It was a spectacular fire, with the flames extending to the tip of the spire and lighting up for a long ways.  As the walls fell the firemen devoted their attention to prevent the horse sheds in the rear from burning, and although these caught a number of times the flames were quickly extinguished.

The community was devastated by the loss of its church which was held in high esteem.  "Seldom is a country church more beautiful than was Rock Baptist church", it was said.  Giving voice to the feelings within the community was the sermon delivered by Reverend Millard F. Johnson on the Sunday following the catastrophe which took as its text Isaiah 64:11, "Our Holy and Our Beautiful House, where our fathers praised Thee, is burned up with fire, and our pleasant things are laid waste."

This year, the Rock Village Church celebrates its 250th anniversary. As part of the celebrations, a walking tour, light cookout, concert and historical exhibit will be featured on Saturday, June 18, beginning at 11 a. m. at the Rock Village Church on Miller Street.

Trials & Tribulations of the Peirce Street Bakery

"Simple Milk Loaf", photograph, April 9, 2009,by

juanelos.  Reused under a Creative Commons

license.

Half-way down Peirce Street, at number 122, just around the corner from Pearl Street, stands an unobtrusive-looking house which blends inconspicuously with its neighbors. Despite its present-day residential appearance and use, 140 years ago it housed Middleborough's only bakery, an operation plagued with chronic difficulties.

Fittingly, the Peirce Street bakery, which was to be so troubled with problems, had its origin in the misfortune of another bakery - the Wareham Street bakery- which went up in flames in December, 1857, taking with it for good measure, the nearby dwelling house of Abial Gibbs as well as Gibbs' barn which housed the Middleborough and Plymouth stage line.

Because the Wareham Street bakery had been what would have been termed in those days "a going proposition" (generating some $10,000 annually), the incentive for a go-getum entrepreneur to build a new bakery was great.

Accordingly, in January, 1858, Eleazer Richmond began construction of a new bakery with brick foundation on Peirce Street, a location close enough to the Four Corners to take advantage of the growing number of residents requiring baked goods, but far enough removed as to minimize the threat of fire to the entire village (always a concern with bakeries).

The bakery commenced operations at the start of April under the direction of George H. Everett, the unfortunate last proprietor of the Wareham Street bakery, and its opening was heralded with an announcement and advertisement in the pages of the Gazette. As a courtesy, Everett (operating under the assumption that "you can't buy advertising like that") sent the Gazette "crackers, gingerbread and cakes hot from the new oven and good as we could imagine."

The abeyance of Everett's troubles following the Wareham Street fire, however, did not last long. In late May, 1858, the apprentice he had engaged for the new bakery absconded one Sunday evening with $60 worth of clothing and money, a sum representing some 2 to 3 days' receipts for the bakery.

Apparently, the Peirce Street bakery wasn't as "going" a proposition as its predecessor. Money became tight, and Everett was compelled to shut down operations for what was described as a "lack of funds." Truly, it was a lack of patronage which closed the bakery as indicated by the Gazette's own somewhat circular contention that "there is patronage enough in Middleboro and vicinity to support it well, if bestowed in that direction.

No money was forthcoming, no patronage bestowed, and in September, William B. Smith took charge of the bakery. Again, the Gazette (purely for the sake of journalistic accuracy) felt compelled to sample the bakery products. "Having tried Mr. Smith's bread we pronounce it first rate."

The community didn't agree with this assessment and, within months, Smith was gone.

Map of Plymouth County, H. F. Walling, c. 1857,

detail showing the location of the Peirce Street

bakery circled.

The following spring, the building's owner, Eleazer Richmond, had his own difficulties with the bakery - this time with the theft of the bakery's firewoood by not too intelligent thieves. Feeling especially punchy that week, the Gazette commented: "Mr. Eleazer Richmond wishes us to request those who steal his wood from the Bakery on Peirce street, not to scatter it on the high way, between the Bakery and their place of destination, as it thus becomes a nuisance to travellers and may lead to detection. Mr. Richmond, being a humane man, desires not to be compelled to convict and put in execution the law provided in such cases."

In May, 1860, a third baker, N. C. Hunt, decided to try his hand at running the bakery, and the Gazette pronounced (after still yet another sampling) that the bakery's products were fit for Queen Victoria "or any of her darling daughters." (The bakery's problems not withstanding, at least the Gazette staff was well-fed).

Hunt had no more success than the others, and charge of the bakery operation was taken by Henri Johnson who, in April, 1861, formed a partnership with grocer James Harlow to continue the business. "They intend to furnish the best bread, crackers, pies and cakes, for their patrons."

In mid-November, 1861, Johnson engaged a new baker and announced his readiness to supply the community with brown, white and graham bread. "Particular attention will be paid to the baking of beans and pudding if left at the bake house by eight o'clock, Saturday evenings."

Despite the Gazette's encouragement (it considered the maintenance of a bakery in Middleborough of supreme importance), the Peirce Street bakery was never a successful operation. It was not until the eventual arrival of Samuel S. Bourne that the town was able to sustain a commercial bakery.

The Peirce Street bakery ultimately folded operations, and by 1872 when the property was mortgaged, the bakery building had been converted into a dwelling house, a use it has maintained ever since.

The Burning of Alden, Walker & Wilde, 1904

Alden, Walker & Wilde Manufactory Ruins, newspaper halftone of original October, 1904 photograph.
The view depicts the aftermath of the October 4, 1904, fire which largely destroyed the Alden, Walker & Wilde shoe manufactory on Clifford Street.  Visible to the left is a portion of the Clifford Street facade.  The building's north side (facing towards Wareham Street) occupies the center of the photograph with the Jenks Building just out of the camera's range on the right.  The amount of water and the fact that the fire department's hoses remain along Clifford Street (foreground) indicate that the photograph was taken on the day of the fire.

On October 4, 1904, what was described as the worst fire in Middleborough in over 20 years virtually destroyed the shoe manufactory of Alden, Walker & Wilde on Clifford Street and compelled the firm to remove from town. Built in 1875, the manufactory building ruined in the blaze had initially been occupied by the Domestic Needle Works and its successors, and later by the W. H. Schlueter & Company, before being acquired by Alden, Walker & Wilde.

Organized in 1900 by Arthur H. Alden, George W. Walker and William H. Wilde who had formerly been associated with Hathaway, Soule & Harrington, an earlier shoe manufacturing firm in Middleborough,  Alden, Walker & Wilde rapidly became one of the principal shoe producers in town. At the time of the 1904 fire, the firm employed some 100 hands to manufacture high quality men’s dress shoes and was reportedly paying high wages.

During the early morning of the October 4th, Eldred R. Waters who resided around the corner on Wareham Street was the first to notice the fire which originated in the rear of the building. “He rushed to the road, crying ‘fire’ and soon residents of the dwellings surrounding responded and an alarm was pulled in.” Due to some unspecified malfunctioning of the alarm, however, there was a delay in the fire department’s response, a delay which would ultimately prove “costly.”

The fire spread through the wood frame building rapidly, fueled by the shoes, leather and paper packing boxes within. “Floors dropped under the weight of the shafting and heavy machinery, sections of the building and roof fell off, the firemen narrowly escaping injury."

Middleborough Fire Chief Charles W. Kingman described the difficulty of the task in the report which he wrote subsequent to the fire:

Thirteenth alarm, October 4th, at 5.30 a. m., from boxes 34 and 35, for a fire in the shoe factory of Alden, Walker & Wilde, Clifford street. This was the largest fire the town has had since the burning of the Leonard & Barrows factory, some twenty years ago. Responded to by the entire Department. The building must have been burning for some time before it was discovered, as the two upper stories and roof were well under way when the Department arrived. It was at once seen that we had a hard fight before us. The extension ladder was at once raised to the roof of the Jenks building and Hose Companies 1, 2 and 6 and Chemical Engine were at once put to work, and with the help of a powerful stream from the Jenks factory, which is excellently equipped for fire fighting, the fire was confined to this one building. The Jenks building caught once on the end of the jet and was somewhat scorched by the intense heat. Hose 3 and 4 were held in reserve. Both pumps were used at the Pumping station, something that has not happened since the LeBaron Foundry fire in 1895, and after they were put on the pressure was very good.

“When the roof went through a big cloud of cinders arose, and as they dropped they fell on the residences of J. H. Moody and James Curley, on the opposite side of Clifford st. Lines of hose were immediately sent up on these buildings, and firemen remained on top of them to watch for a blaze. The sparks were also carried on Wareham st. to the blacksmith shop of T. F. Ford, and but for the prompt action of the firemen there might have been another blaze there.” The Jenks Building on the corner of Wareham and Clifford Streets which stood beside the Alden plant also suffered. The intensity of the heat shattered glass window panes and for a time it was thought that the rear portion of the building would be consumed as well.

When it became evident that the Alden, Walker & Wilde plant could not be saved, efforts were directed at removing as much of the finished product as possible, “some of which were packed in cases, some on the racks to be packed, while others were almost ready for the packing stage.” Also saved from the flames were Alden, Walker & Wilde’s records and the shoe samples which had only recently been produced and which were invaluable in convincing prospective buyers to place orders with the shoe firm. The shoes were placed in the custody of the fire police and were later removed to the vacant factory of C. W. Maxim.

Kingman’s report continues:

Although it was not long before the fire was under control, it was nearly 11.30 before it was entirely out. Good work was done by the Fire Police and volunteers in removing property from the building, and we were fortunate in having no wind. The boiler and engine and the books and samples were saved, and perhaps $1000 worth of shoes in a damaged condition. The Department certainly did good work, and we were very fortunate in that no one was injured and that a serious conflagration was averted. Loss, perhaps $35,000. Cause of fire unknown.

The burning of the building and its contents produced an enormous plume of black smoke which covered the southern portion of town, attracting the attention of curiosity seekers who “flocked” into town to see the devastation. What they saw was only a semblance of the manufactory which had previously stood there. The two upper floors were nearly totally destroyed.  And while the ground floor remained, it was heavily damaged by both smoke and water.  (Relatively unscathed was the one-story brick engine house at the rear of the building which stood until at least 1906).

Alden estimated the loss to be from $30,000 to $40,000, including $10,000 worth of sole leather alone which had been inside the plant. Only a portion of the loss was covered by insurance, and insurance agents themselves considered the building a total loss. Yet despite this discouraging assessment, immediately following the fire, the firm vowed to remain in Middleborough and rebuild.

The cause of the fire appears unknown to posterity, though the rapidity with which the blaze spread through the building was attributable in part to the lack of any fire apparatus or a watchman at the Alden, Walker & Wilde plant. Kingman's praise of the preparedness of the neighboring Jenks Building, in contrast to that of the Alden plant, may have in fact been intended as a subtle criticism of the latter firm.

Alden, Walker & Wilde Manufactory Ruins, photograph, October, 1904.
This view of the Alden, Walker & Wilde manufactory remains was probably taken some time before October 21, 1904, when a rainstorm toppled a portion of the ruins.  The site was subsequently fenced, although the ruined shell was permitted to stand for another month, minus the upper two floors.  What was left of the building was finally pulled down in early December.

The remains of the building stood for a number of weeks during which time workers were engaged in clearing the debris. The remaining sole and upper leather was purchased by speculators, and damaged shoes were sold as “bargain lots”. The machinery was crated up and removed by the United Shoe Machinery Company which shipped it to Winchester. In the meantime, the company had relocated to North Weymouth where it purchased the firm of Torrey, Curtis & Tirrell and to where the undamaged portion of the Middleborough plant was transferred.

On October 21, a heavy rain and windstorm blew over one side of the remaining ruins and the danger of the remaining collapsing prompted Superintendent of Streets J. C. Chase to fence off the street around it. The following day, a force of men removed the remainder of the upper portion of the factory, leaving the hollow shell of the ground floor. In December, this too was finally leveled. What lumber could be salvaged was acquired by Charles B. Cobb for the construction of a storehouse.

Despite the fact that Alden, Walker & Wilde had relocated to Weymouth, rumors continued to circulate about Middleborough that the firm proposed returning to town and that local contractor B. F. Phinney had been engaged to construct a new manufactory for the firm. In early December Phinney denied any knowledge of such a plan. The company never returned to Middleborough.

Sources:
“Annual Report of the Board of Engineers of the Fire Department” in Annual Reports of the Officers of the Middleboro Fire District, and the Nineteenth Annual Report of the Water Commissioners for the Year 1904. Middleboro: Middleboro Fire District, 1905.

Old Colony Memorial, “News Notes”, October 29, 1904, page 3.

Unidentified newspaper clippings, James H. Creedon collection, Middleborough Public Library,”Middleboro Has Bad Fire”, October 4, 1904; “Shoe Factory Burned”, October 4, 1904; October 17, 1904; “Middleboro”, October 22, 1904; “Middleboro”, October 23, 1904; “Middleboro”, December 3, 1904.

George E. Keith Shoe Factory Fire, 1974

.
Undoubtedly, the worst fire in Midddleborough's long history was the fire of mid-December, 1974, which burned for nearly four days, and which consumed three large factory buildings in the process.

The fire began in the early morning hours of Friday, December 13, 1974, in the abandoned George E. Keith shoe factory on Sumner Avenue on Middleborough's West Side. The factory had been constructed in 1905 as a result of efforts by a group of concerned citizens intent upon luring new manufacturing interests to Town. Following the post-World War II decline in New England shoe manufacturing, the Keith factory was utilized as a warehouse by the Plymouth Shoe Company which had purchased the building. Winthrop-Atkins for a time also used a portion of the factory for storage purposes.

Eventually, in 1972, the Town took the property for $24,000 in unpaid taxes with the Middleboro Development and Industrial Corporation taking ultimate ownership. Though the Corporation did see some interest expressed in the building by outside manufacturing concerns, it remained unoccupied. Meanwhile, the factory's windows remained unboarded, leaving it a target for vandalism and, on the night of December 13, arson.

The fire originated in the four-story factory and quickly spread through its 300 foot length. Within minutes, the Keith factory was a raging inferno. Despite the windless night, the fire soon crossed the railroad tracks towards Cambridge Street, prompting a general alarm call which was responded to by every piece of Middleborough equipment, as well as 14 surrounding communities. For miles around, a great orange glow could be seen in the sky.

On Cambridge Street, two factories which stood directly across the railroad from the Keith plant were soon on fire. The old Lobl manufactory (ironically built to replace an earlier factory which had succumbed to fire in July, 1919) which then housed the Middleboro Plating Company was completely engulfed. The neighboring factory, known as the Alberts Shoe Company factory from the firm which had occupied it between 1933 and 1965, in 1974 housed Stav, Inc., a plastics recycling company, and it, too, was soon ablaze.

With all three factories engulfed in flames, the focus of the nearly 200 firefighters present was preventing the conflagration from spreading further. A constant stream of water was kept on the oil tanks of the Standish Oil Company on Cambridge Street, and residences along Cambridge Street were continually hosed down to prevent their catching fire. Residences between Cambridge and Everett Streets were evacuated, as were houses along Lane Street, and the Fourth District Court on North Main Street was opened as a shelter.

Nearly 3.25 million gallons of water were used in quenching the fire, at one point lowering the Barden Hill standpipe to a dangerously low level. Additionally, so much water was drawn from Nevertouch Pond that its level fell some eight inches in the course of Friday morning.
By dawn Friday, the fire had been brought under control, but the process of extinquishing the smoldering rubble would continue for days. Poultry feed at G. D. Poultry on Cambridge Street continued to burn for days, as did the melted plastic from Stav, Inc. Four Cambridge Street businesses - Stav, Inc.; D & A Electroplating; Middleboro Printing Co.; and Middleboro Plating Corp. were completely destroyed, while a fifth - G. D. Poultry - was severely damaged.

In the aftermath of the fire, the Board of Selectmen declared the neighborhood a disaster area, partly in order to make the five businesses destroyed or damaged in the blaze eligible for Small Business Administration loans for rebuilding.

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Illustrations;

"George E. Keith Co. Shoe Factory No. 4 Middleboro, Mass.", Leighton & Valentine, postcard, c. 1910

This postcard depicts the George E. Keith factory on Sumner Avenue in Middleborough sometime in the decade following its construction. At the time the factory was destroyed in December, 1974, a second two-story ell stood between the main four-story block and the railroad line.

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Map of the Burned District, Michael J. Maddigan, 2009

The map shows the extent of the fire. Though the night was windless, the conflagration spread to the east side of the railroad line, destroying an additional two factory buildings. Lane Street as well as the blocks between Cambridge and Everett Streets were evacuated as a precaution.

Church's Narrow Escape from Destruction

The Memorial Day fire which nearly destroyed the Central Congregational Church in Middleborough was neither the first fire in the church, nor the first to seriously threaten the structure. At noon on Wednesday, April 23, 1930, a fire broke out upon the roof near the chimney in the rear of the church above the organ loft. "Arthur H. Denham, the janitor, had a fire in the furnace and discovered the chimney was on fire, a spark from which ignited the [roof] shingles. The firemen made quick work of extinguishing the fire and although there was water used from a small hose line, there was no damage to the big organ that was installed only a short time ago. A portion of the roof was ripped out and sections about the chimney wet down. The damage was slight." [Middleboro Gazette, "Fires", April 25, 1930, page 1]

More serious was a fire which had occurred six and a half years earlier when on the early morning of December 2, 1923, the church was nearly lost in the most serious fire until last month in the building. The story, at the time, was documented by the Middleboro Gazette under the headline which heads this post.

Excellent work by the members of the Middleboro fire department Sunday morning doubtless saved the Central Congregational church from being totally destroyed by fire. As it was the loss on the building and contents is placed at from $12,000 to $15,000. About 2.15 a telephone call was received at the Central [Fire] station from Mrs. Allan R. Thatcher that the church was on fire and an alarm from box 43 was immediately sounded. At practically the same time, Walter Weeman, who was returning home after playing at a dance, discovered the blaze. When the department arrived the flames had burst through the windows in the rear and were even higher than the roof. After a stubborn fight of 50 minutes the all out was rung in. Later investigations show that the main damage was in the parlor which was completely gutted and all its contents practically consumed, including the piano, many chairs, desk, etc. The entire edifice was damaged by smoke which was so dense during the fire that when the electrics were turned on in the auditorium not a light was visible until windows were opned and the atmosphere changed. The blaze worked its way through the ceiling to the organ loft and was just breaking out. There were numerous stories in circulation as to the origin of the fire, many claiming it to be of incendiary origin. Chief engineer Maxim had Edward H. Murtagh, fire inspector of the detective department of the district police here Monday to investigate. His verdict was the same as that of the chief after the fire, that it was caused by a steam pipe running clsoe to the wood work of a cushioned seat. The same conditions existed in another place, in the organ loft, and a small fire had just started there when discovered. This latter blaze may perhaps have been due in part to the additional heat of the main fire. It is a well known fact among fire chiefs and inspectors that after a number of years when steam pipes are in close proximity to the woodwork there is a serious danger of fire. Another fact which disproves the incendiary theory is that Mrs. P. M. Ramsey, who lives near the church, detected the smell of smoke in the early evening, going down stairs to investigate. Insurance adjustors were here Wednesday. The loss is well covered by insurance.

As a result of the fire no services were possible Sunday. The congregation worshipped in the Central M. E. church and the Sunday school met in the Unitarian church.

Following the fire and with the onset of spring, repairs were immediately undertaken upon the church building. By March, 1924, it was reported that "repairs are progressing satisfactorily at Central Congregational church, where carpenters have been busy making repairs and improvements the past month. Masons have been engaged in plastering the past week, electricians have completed the wiring and pipe fitters are attending to the necessary plumbing and changes. The kitchen has been enlarged and very much improved and when completed will be one of the best of its kind." [Middleboro Gazette, "Middleboro", March 28, 1924, page 1]

Work was completed on the structure by June when it was ready for interior refurnishing and decoration work which was done by a Boston firm. "At the time repairs were made to the church, new linoleum [decribed by the Gazette as "battlehip linoleum"] was laid on the floor of the auditorium and the rostrum was enlarged, a row of pews removed to make room. Rolling partitions were installed in the vestry and the kitchen remodelled." [Witbeck:30] With interior work upon the church complete, the building was once more ready for use and on September 28, 1924, the first Sunday worship service held in the church since the previous December was conducted.

The newly-rebuilt church was rededicated on November 19, 1924, appropriately the day before Thanksgiving.

Rededicatory exercises were held at Central Congregational church, Wednesday evening at which a large number were present, many representatives of the other churches in town attending, as well as guests from out of town. Fine music was rendered by the vested choir of the church, under the direction of Wirt B. Phillips, with Miss Annie Keith as organist. The opening prayer was offered by Rev. A. G. Cummings of the First [Congregational] church and the scripture was read by Rev. John E. LeBosquet, pastor of the First Congregational church of Fall River. Mr. Cummings brought greetings and blessing from the mother church at the Green, which is 230 years old this year. It was from this church March 25, 1847 that 33 members, ten men and 23 women, asked for letters of dismissal in order to found the Central Congregational church. At that time the right hand of fellowship was given by that staunch old preacher, Rev. Israel Putnam. Dr. Cummings stated that during all the years from that day to this the mother church has watched her daughter, happy in her successes and now rejoices that she has passed through the trials of fire and has come out reclothed and in such a prosperous condition.

Rev. C. R. Chappell, pastor of the Central Baptist church, brought the greetings of the sister churched in the community, saying that it was a personal delight to him to assist in this dedication service, because of the delightful fellowship that exists among the churches of this town.

The sermon of the evening on "The Lost Radiance of the Church" was preached by Mr. LeBosquet. He spoke of the large church buildings erected in years past which used to be thronged with people, whereas the great problem now is how to fill them. The speaker said that now the Central Congregational church had been so splendidly refitted the time was ripe to increase the church attendance. People respect the church as much as in olden times but so many attractions exist today that it is neglected. So many fraternal organizations have risen that the work of the church does not seem necessary in this line. But clubs, however popular, have no such history as the church and the church is not for men and women alone, but for the entire family. The speaker emphasized the great mistake in bringing up children with no religious training. By attending church people can set an example to the children which will bear fruit in the next generation. The speaker closed by emphasizing church attendance as a duty people owe to others as well as to themselves.

The act of dedication was performed by the pastor of the church, Rev. John P. Garfield, and the congregation, after which the service was closed by a prayer and benediction by Mr. Garfield, Rev. Lincoln B. Goodrich being unable to be present. The present church edifice was dedicated Aug. 15, 1849; the church was incorporated Sept. 9, 1889. It was rededicated after extensive changes, Feb. 23, 1892 and was damaged by fire, Sunday, Dec. 2, 1923, restored and rededicated, Nov. 19, 1924. A new Hook & Hastings organ is to be installed before next Easter.

At the close of the service all were invited below to inspect the lower rooms, which, fresh from the hands of the decorators, present a most attractive appearance. Some changes have been made in the arrangements of these rooms which add greatly to the beauty and convenience of the church. About 200 were present and an enjoyable social hour was held during which musical selections were rendered by Walter Weeman, violin; Chester Shaw, flute and Parker Kennedy, piano. Refreshments of sandwiches and coffee were served by the social committee of the church, Mrs. Louis Ritter, Mrs. Charles Martin and Mrs. Wilson G. Harlow, assisted by numerous ladies of the church. [Middleboro Gazette, "Rededicatory Services", November 21, 1924, page 1]

Illustrations:

Fire-gutted rear of the Central Congregational Church, Michael J. Maddigan, photographer, June 5, 2009

The view shows the rear addition of the Central Congregational Church. The addition was constructed during the 1891-92 renovation of the church and was the source of the three fires in the church since that time: 1924, 1930 and 2009.

Detail, fire gutted rear of the Central Congregational Church, Michael J. Maddigan, photographer, June 5, 2009

Fire-gutted eave and windows, Central Congregational Church, Michael J. Maddigan, photographer, June 5, 2009

Damaged Window, Central Congregational Church, Michael J. Maddigan, photographer, June 8, 2009

"Flames had burst through the windows in the rear and were even higher than the roof" during the 1924 fire.

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Reverend John P. Garfield

Garfield served as pastor of the Central Congregational Church from 1921 through 1936, and oversaw the church's reconstruction following fires in 1924 and 1930.

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Central Congregational Church, photograph, late 1930s

The photograph shows the pristine church just over a decade following its repair following the 1924 fire.

Sources:

Middleboro Gazette, "Church's Narrow Escape from Destruction", December 7, 1923, page 1.

Middleboro Gazette, "Fires", April 25, 1930, page 1.

Middleboro Gazette, "Middleboro", March 28, 1924, page 1; June 6, 1924, page 2; July 4, 1924, page 8; and October 3, 1924, page 1.

Middleboro Gazette, "Rededicatory Services", November 21, 1924, p. 1.

Witbeck, Mertie E. History of the Central Congregational Church, Middleborough, Massachusetts, 1847-1947. Middleborough, MA: Central Congregational Church, 1947.

Central Baptist Church Fire, 1888

On Memorial Day, as fire gutted a large portion of the historic Central Congregational Church on South Main Street, onlookers stood watching in shock and disbelief while flames licked at the base of the steeple, threatening to consume the church which for so many held a deeply-rooted connection to the Town of Middleborough and its history. Despite the disturbing novelty of the scene, it was one which had been witnessed previously in Middleborough, over 120 years earlier when fire utterly destroyed the Central Baptist Church.

The original Central Baptist Church had been constructed on the site of the present building on Nickerson Avenue in 1828, the culmination of a long effort by local church leaders to establish their own church in the then burgeoning Four Corners area. The church, which replaced an earlier chapel used by the parish, was a symbol of the aspirations of the local Baptist community which had been so influential in the growth of Middleborough center.

Until 1847 when the Central Congregational Society was formed, the Central Baptist Church remained the sole church at Middleborough Center. Accordingly in those nearly twenty years, it established for itself a primacy of place within the lives of local residents, many of whom were members of the parish and all of whom, in time, would have a connection with the building. That connection came in 1847 when the identity of Four Corners residents was wedded to the church with the installation of a town clock in the church steeple, an action undertaken at the behest of the town which sought to use the church’s steeple as the highest structure then at Middleborough Center. Little appreciation, however, was probably given the clock until the bitterly cold afternoon of January 22, 1888, when the church was destroyed by fire, and the town clock with it.

Conflicting reports remain regarding who first noticed the fire which was later attributed to an overheated chimney. Mrs. Elisha T. Jenks, then inside the building with the Sunday School class, is said to have reported the fire after she saw smoke blowing past the window. Another report states that it was a different member of the class who smelled smoke and upon investigating discovered the blaze.

About 12.10 o'clock p. m., a member of the Sunday school smeled what he thought was burning wood, and went into the ante-room, where he saw a hole burned through the wall. He told others and in going up stairs the flame could be ssen through the ventilators in the ceiling where the chandeliers hung.

Still other reports indicate that it was actually Mark Merrick, an engineer at the H. L. Thatcher print shop directly opposite the church on Thatcher’s Row who noticed smoke rising not out of the chimney on the northwest corner of the building but from beside it which prompted him to run to the engine house on School Street to seek the assistance of the local firemen.

While the Sunday School was being immediately evacuated from the church, Merrick was apparently having some difficulty in convincing the firemen of the gravity of the situation and they are reported as having been “at first rather incredulous”. Nonetheless, the engine responded (though drawing it even the short distance was difficult given the snow which covered the ground) and with five and a half minutes a chemical stream was applied to the building and within ten minutes a stream of water.

Water was played upon the roof around the chimney, but by that time, the fire had spread the entire length of the building between the ceiling and the roof. Dense smoke and intense heat beat back firefighters who, unable to quench the flames focused on saving adjoining buildings, including the former Peirce Academy building and Thatcher’s print shop. Embers drifted as far as South Main Street, momentarily setting the roof of Charles Drake’s House (on the site of the Mayflower Bank) ablaze. Ice and freezing temperatures made the task of firemen particularly difficult and especially dangerous. One firefighter, Alonzo Norris, was injured "by the falling of a hose nozzle, cutting a severe scalp wound, but no serious results are apprehended. A few days of confinement will probably bring him around all right. One or two others were somewhat bruised but not seriously."

Disregarding the temperature, crowds gathered along Center Street and in the rear of the Town Hall to observe the destruction of the church with the most dramatic moment being the crashing in of the 128 foot high steeple, weighted with both bell and town clock.

“The bell in falling lodged upon the gallery floor, immediately over a solid post and lies there, broken, and partially melted. The clock in its fall is almost wholly lost sight of in the mass of debris, but few traces of it having yet been found…. The hands of the clock stopped at 12.35.”

Later, the local fire department would come into some criticism for their conduct of operations at the scene of the fire. While the exact nature of the complaints lodged against the firefighters has not been left on record, a spirited rebuttal to the criticism has.

MR. EDITOR: - In your edition of Monday, 23d, it was quoted from good authority that it was full thirty minutes before a stream of water was put on to the fire. Now that is a base falsehood. From the time the alarm was sounded to getting a chemical stream on was 5 1-2 minutes and a water stream on in 10 minutes. These are the facts that can be proven if required. The church inside the walls was a mass of flames before the alarm was given and before the Sunday school was dismissed. The fire must have been burning for hours. The firemen worked with a will and tried every possible plan inside and out to stop the flames. With the thermometer at zero and men, hose and ladders covered with ice it was a dangerous and difficult task. People may stand and look at a building on fire and suggest some plan to put the fire out, but let them attempt the task and they will not do any better if as well as others have done. The firemen deserve great credit for the manner in which they handled this fire. We can justly say "thy will be done," not mine.

JUSTICE.

The loss of their church was devastating for the closely knit members of the society. More broadly, the 1888 loss of the Central Baptist Church and with it the town clock which it housed, was a psychological blow for the Four Corners community, so accustomed had the become to the presence of the town clock in their lives, its bell tolling the hours day in and day out. “The ‘town clock’ was a familiar feature, which shall be sadly missed. Many eyes have unconsciously sought its accustomed place for the time today, but alas, no intelligence could be gained.”

Efforts were undertaken immediately to secure new accommodations for the congregation, as well as to consider the next steps forward:

A meeting of the [Central Baptist] society will be called at once to consider what course to adopt. There is little doubt that the church will be rebuilt, and probably upon the same spot.

We understand that offers of accommodations for meeting have been given by both the [Central] Congregational and [Central] Methodist societies.

The offer of fellowship, however, was gratefully declined and, instead, a chapel was established in the former Peirce Academy building which stood adjoining the ruins of the church. "Work has already commenced in getting ready the lower story of the Academy building for holding church services. All the settees, the cushions and hymn books were saved, and this can be made quite comfortable for a temporary place of meeting." Nonetheless,

at the meeting Monday evening of the Baptist church committee and the prudential committee of the society, an appreciative vote of thanks was extended to the Congregational and Methodist churches for their kind invitations to worship with them while the baptists were deprived of a house of worship. Below is a copy of the circular which is sent out by these two committee to the members of the church and congregation and those who are interested in the question of rebuilding.

"Dear Friend: The ruins of our church home, with touching eloquence, now plead with us to remember the work and sacred influences for which it stood so long, and the silent tongue of the bell call us to speak...."
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Illustrations:

Central Baptist Church Fire, January 22, 1888, photograph

Perhaps the earliest photograph of a building fire at Middleborough, this view depicts the crowd that has assembled in the rear of Middleborough Town Hall to witness the destruction of the Central Baptist Church on Sunday, January 22, 1888, just after noon. The loss of the church and the town clock it housed was a devastating blow for the community. "...The photograph itself was taken by Fletcher L. Barrows, who made three or four good negatives of different stages of the fire. One of them shows the steeple as it fell and the set make a fair start toward a motion picture of the event. Amateur photography was then in its infancy and the results even today [1924] may be called good. Another unique result of the fire was the fact that sfter the flames were through with their work, the organ could be played to some extent. The progress of the fire was from the rear of the church or organ loft toward the steeple which acted as a chimney for draft" [Middleboro Gazette, "ye NB colyum", May 2, 1924, p. 1].

Central Baptist Church, detail stereocard, John Shaw, Middleborough, publisher, mid-1880s

The view depicts the Central Baptist Church a short time before the 1888 fire.

Middleboro News, undated newspaper clipping, January, 1888

Both the Middleboro News and its friendly rival, the Middleboro Gazette, would have devoted extensive coverage to the fire, though only this clipping from the News appears to have survived.

Central Baptist Church ruins, newspaper cut, unidentified Boston newspaper

This illustration from an unidentified Boston newspaper at the time of the fire depicts the remains of the Central Baptist Church which was entirely destroyed.

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Sources:

Middleboro Gazette

Middleboro News

Old Colony Memorial [Plymouth]

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Updated July 15, 2009 at 9:56 PM