Apr 22 – Rutland Fires of 1868

In 1868, Rutland was devastated by a series of neighborhood fires, one almost every week.  Many of Rutland's prominent buildings were destroyed, some by accident and others by arson.  Newspaper reports in The Rutland Herald examined in detail what merchandise was saved, what was destroyed, and which insurance companies were responsible for each merchant's claims.  How much of this destruction was caused by arsonists hired by merchants in order to collect insurance money?  Insurance companies hired detectives to investigate.

 

January:  Two major fires burned sections in Merchants Row, including the Cramton Block. 

March:  A committee of the water commission recommended that the town try (again) to improve its water system. New waterworks were to be constructed at a cost of $20,000.

April:  A lantern exploded in the Franklin Hotel adjacent to the Courthouse, setting off an inferno that consumed several buildings including the Courthouse, the hotel, and 3 blocks of South Main Street.  Fortunately, no lives were lost and all court records were saved.  The path of this fire included the neighborhood of the Rutland High School, the County Jailhouse, & the music teacher Miss Barrett’s house.  

South Main Street Park

This fire was so destructive that the 3-block stretch was not rebuilt, but instead was turned into a city park, as seen on this 1869 map.  The neighborhood residences of citizens before the fires must be guessed at from the post-fire 1869 map & city directory, the 1860 & 1870 censuses, and 1865-6 tax records.

June:  A bakery at the corner of Washington Street and Strongs Avenue burned.

July:  The Cramton Block, destroyed in January and newly rebuilt, was destroyed again, along with 8 other buildings on Merchants Row.

lead water pipes

Firefighting Water

Rutland had always struggled with an inadequate supply of water, and every city fire created a new water shortage crisis.  Water was piped into the city by the Rutland Aqueduct Company through an aqueduct from a spring in the town of Mendon.  About five miles of pipe were laid in 1858, and the open wooden aqueduct was replaced with cast iron pipe.  Over the next 5 years, the pipes were extended, but with the very rapid growth of the village at that time, the new supply soon failed to meet public necessities. The great fires of 1868 also showed a lack of sufficient facilities for such emergencies.

steam-powered fire engine

October:  Because of this series of destructive fires, the water commission, at its annual meeting, approved the erection of new waterworks at a cost of about $20,000, and the issue of bonds for that amount.  The Killington Steamer Company was formed and a new steam-powered fire engine was purchased for the city.  This was the first steamer bought in the State of Vermont.

December: A conspiracy was devised to commit several distracting arsons and help a notorious prisoner escape from the county jail.  (See my next historical post.)

Rutland fire & water history:  http://www.rutlandcity.org/index.asp?SEC=B8B900BB-795C-495F-9AFC-CAA0D6CEBD24&DE=693222F8-06C5-4A55-9909-5D83187712E4&Type=B_BASIC

waterworks history:  http://www.waterworkshistory.us/VT/Rutland/