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Great Salem fire of 1914... Massachusetts...
Great Salem fire of 1914... Massachusetts...
Item # 720386
June 27, 1914
FITCHBURG CENTINEL, Mass., June 27, 1914
* The Great Salem Fire of 1914
* Essex County, Massachusetts
* Same day first report w/ nice headline
The top of the front page has Two column heading: "PLANS REBUILDING FIRE SWEPT CITY" with subhead. (see images)
Complete with all 12 pages, light toning, generally nice.
AI notes: The Great Salem Fire of 1914 struck Salem, Massachusetts, on June 25, beginning at the Korn Leather Company on Boston Street when flammable chemicals ignited, rapidly spreading through the city’s dense wooden structures under strong winds. Within hours, the fire destroyed over 1,600 buildings across 253 acres, including homes, businesses, and factories, leaving more than 18,000 people—nearly half the city’s population—homeless or unemployed. Despite the scale of destruction, only three fatalities were reported, though around sixty people were injured. The disaster revealed serious vulnerabilities in Salem’s infrastructure, including inadequate water pressure, outdated building codes, and a lack of fire safety measures such as sprinklers and fire escapes. In its aftermath, the city rebuilt with fire-resistant materials, implemented stricter fire safety regulations, and initiated employment services for those displaced, making the fire a pivotal event in urban planning and disaster preparedness in early 20th-century America.
Category: The 20th Century
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