A photograph from 1914 of the aftermath of a disastrous fire in Pottsville.
The photo appeared in the “Looking Back” feature of the Pottsville Republican, October 13, 1979, which was presented by Joseph M. Hanney, who was the vice president of the Schuylkill County Historical Society. The photo is from the historical society’s collection. The text was written by Hanney:
Thursday morning, December 17, 1914, was darkly quiet in the downtown heart of Pottsville’s business district, at more than 10 degrees below zero, when “…a quarter after three the night shifting crew at the Philadelphia and Reading Station saw the flames and came running up to Centre Street.” These were the opening lines of a story by a staff reporter of the Pottsville Republican, beginning the description of one of the most disastrous filed ever to strike the town. It leveled the entire block west of Centre Street between Norwegian and Mahantongo Streets, including the Pennsylvania Bank and the famous Academy of Music and Union Hall, leaving only the Union Bank standing. Some 30 businesses were destroyed, and the office of many lawyers and other professional people were destroyed. The narrow confines of Norwegian Street were described as a “twisted mass of wire.” Curious spectators came by trolley from as far away as Mauch Chunk for days following, and Fire Chief James Lynaugh declared, “… it’s a miracle no one was killed.”
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Article & photo from Newspapers.com.
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