The “Great Conflagration” Destroyed a Large Section of Williamsport on August 20, 1871
On Sunday evening, August 20, 1871, only five years after Williamsport became a city, a fire swept through the older eastern portion of town. Although later overshadowed nationally by the Chicago fire that October, Williamsport’s “Great Conflagration” was the most destructive urban fire in the city’s history.
The first flames appeared at about eight o’clock in a stable belonging to C. M. Baker on Black Horse Alley, the narrow street now known as East Church Street. The location was near East Third and Mulberry streets, then one of Williamsport’s principal residential and business districts.
There are two versions of its origin: Contemporary and traditional accounts generally say that the precise cause was never conclusively established. Later accounts report that witnesses saw two unfamiliar men carrying torches near the stables. This led to a belief that the fire was deliberately set. No one was ever arrested or prosecuted.
Several circumstances made the situation especially dangerous. A strong southerly wind carried sparks and burning shingles from roof to roof. Moreover, a large portion of the population reportedly was outside the city attending a religious camp meeting or revival.
Williamsport still depended upon separate volunteer fire companies. Their equipment, organization, and water supply were inadequate for a wind-driven conflagration. The companies also had a history of rivalry. Accounts describe firemen competing for hydrants and recognition instead of operating under a unified command. Whether every colorful detail is literally true, there is little doubt that the lack of centralized control hampered the response.
The disaster became one of the principal arguments for reorganizing fire protection. In 1874, Williamsport established the professional city fire service that became today’s Bureau of Fire. A history written for the fire bureau's 150th anniversary confirms the department’s establishment in 1874.
Most accounts report 45 buildings were destroyed, although some sources call them 45 “homes.” “More than forty buildings” is probably the safest wording because the burned area contained a mixture of: Private houses and mansions; Stores and workshops; Hotels and boarding houses; Barns and stables; Warehouses; A church; and Railroad property.
Among the notable losses were the old Russell Inn or Affie Dumm House, a log structure that had served as Williamsport’s first courthouse, the Waverly House hotel, the Mulberry Street Methodist Episcopal Church, Fire Station No. 1, the Wayne railroad station , a locomotive and approximately ten to fifteen railroad cars Also lost in the fire was a confectionery, millinery, furniture warehouse and numerous residences.
The Mulberry Street church had an especially unfortunate history. Its previous building burned in 1868. Its replacement was barely completed when the 1871 fire destroyed it; a third church was erected and dedicated in 1872. Contemporary estimates placed the loss at more than $300,000 in 1871, much of it uninsured or only partially insured. In 21st-centuryst figures, estimates range from six to 8.2 million dollars.
No one appears to have died during the fire itself. This explains the frequently repeated statement that the conflagration caused “no loss of life.” There was, however, a tragic aftermath. Three days later, children stopped near the ruins of the Packer property. A fire-weakened wall suddenly collapsed upon them. Two children died while two others were not seriously injured.
Efforts to rebuild began almost immediately. Some businesses resumed operations in temporary quarters, while property owners cleared ruins and began construction. Later local accounts say that within less than a year much of the district had been rebuilt, often with newer and more substantial structures.
Economic recovery was less even. Owners without sufficient insurance sometimes could not rebuild, and the East Third–Mulberry district never completely regained its former standing as Williamsport’s premier residential neighborhood. Development and wealth increasingly shifted westward, contributing to the rise of the area later known as Millionaires’ Row.
Many of the owners who did rebuild suffered another severe blow during the Susquehanna River flood of 1889. In that sense, Williamsport recovered rapidly from the visible destruction of 1871, but the fire permanently changed the geography and character of the city.