Many descriptions of the Great Gratz Fire of November 4, 1924, have been published – including the accounts of newspapers of the local area and region and summaries of the fire written specially for local histories.
It is believed that the fire began behind the Union House on the southeast corner of Center Street and Market Street. When it was finally extinguished, it appeared to have taken out half of the main square of the town – at least ten buildings burned to the ground!
The account that follows here was written by Hannah [Clark] Seeger, a Gratz resident who witnessed the fire.
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The screams of fire shattered the stillness of the midnight hour, November 4, 1924. As my family awoke, my mother looked out of the second floor bedroom window. She saw small embers descending on the porch roof. She first surmised that the fire was at the Samuel Straub house, now [1987] owned by Mr. and Mrs. Ray Markel. That brought her concern, because her sister and family were living in the house next to Straubs.
My Dad ran down the stairway as he was trying to get into some clothes. By the time he reached the back porch, he discovered that what he thought was his shirt, was my mother’s apron.
As the fire spread, a wind started to blow from the west, carrying larger embers to a greater distance. In those days, there were many straw stacks and wooden roofs in town – which had the potential to create even more disaster.
Frantic people began to realize what was happening, but did not know what to do or where to turn to be most helpful. At that moment everything seemed to be out of control. Some folks began to collect their clothes and cherished treasures from their home and put them into cars in hopes of taking them to a place of safety.
I too wanted to do what others were doing. But my mother announced that there would be only one item taken from our house, and that would be the family Bible.
I went next door to my aunt’s house. There on a chair by the window was my two year old cousin jumping up and down and gleefully saying “Oh, look at the fire works.” In a child’s eye, that was a good description. I said to my uncle and aunt, “You don’t care is we burn. If you did you would take us to Mammy and Pappy’s.”
Shortly thereafter, the Ford was being loaded with clothes and children. The only way down town was through the alley. The chickens and pigs were running hither and thither, and seemed to be as excited as the people.
When we arrived at Mammy’s place, she was shocked. She was sure that the fire had hit our homes, and this was all that remained. My grand parents’ neighbor Charles Rothermal, was immediately told of the fire, since he had two families of relatives living in Gratz.
Calls for help had gone to towns with fire fighting equipment. When the Lykens firemen rounded the mountain their conclusion was “This is the end of Gratz.”
Harrisburg fire companies were called too. Their equipment was put on railroad cars. When they arrived in Millersburg about four in the morning, word was awaiting them that their service was not needed, as the fire was under control.
At one time during the height of the conflagration plans were made to dynamite two homes to halt the blaze. But it did not become necessary to carry out those plans.
Strange incidents happened that night in all of the confusion, one of which remains in my mind. The kitchen stove that belonged to Mr. George Umholtz was carried from his house to the other side of the street. When the fire was under control and families were allowed to go back into their homes, the stove was returned to the kitchen, pipes replaced, and the coals started to burn.
The Harry Troxell family had moved into their newly built home on the previous October 24th. The heat from the fire was so intense that when the boys poured water on the roof, steam rose from it. The saturated long pieces of carpet and hung them from the second floor windows to protect the siding.
We had school that day, but none of us were alert. The fire was finally quenched, but the ashes smoldered for days.
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From Memories, Volume 2, Gratz Historical Society, 1987.
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