SLIDE 8 8
Great Fires
- 1816 – Raleigh – 51 buildings
- 1819 – Wilmington – Large section of town
- 1831 – Fayetteville – 600+ structures
- 1832 – Raleigh – 30 buildings
- 1835, 1837, 1843 – New Bern – Several
blocks
- 1849 – Greensboro – Business district
- 1854 – Statesville – Half of town
- 1864 – Washington – Half of town
- 1864 – Wilmington – Wharf, 20+ buildings
- 1869 – Goldsboro - 14 buildings
- 1872 – Greensboro – Large portion of town
- 1880 – Durham – Half of town
- 1886 – Durham – Large portion of town
- 1886 – Wilmington – Waterfront
- 1887 – Clinton – 49 dwellings
- 1890 – Thomasville – Nearly every business
- f East Main Street
- 1899 – Greenville – 25 stores and offices
- 1900 – Washington – Business district
- 1902 – Clinton – Entire southern section of
town, including 43 stores
- 1907 – Salisbury – Five manufacturing plants
- 1911 – Apex – Business district
- 1912 – Black Mountain – Business district
- 1913 – Rolesville – Business district, 10
buildings
- 1914 – Durham – Large portion of business
district
- 1918 – Charlotte – 48 homes
- 1918 – Burlington - Downtown
- 1922 – New Bern – 40 blocks, 3000
homeless
Great Fires
- 1816 – Raleigh – 51 buildings
- 1819 – Wilmington – Large section of town
- 1831 – Fayetteville – 600+ structures
- 1832 – Raleigh – 30 buildings
- 1835, 1837, 1843 – New Bern – Several
blocks
- 1849 – Greensboro – Business district
- 1854 – Statesville – Half of town
- 1864 – Washington – Half of town
- 1864 – Wilmington – Wharf, 20+ buildings
- 1869 – Goldsboro - 14 buildings
- 1872 – Greensboro – Large portion of town
- 1880 – Durham – Half of town
- 1886 – Durham – Large portion of town
- 1886 – Wilmington – Waterfront
- 1887 – Clinton – 49 dwellings
- 1890 – Thomasville – Nearly every business
- f East Main Street
- 1899 – Greenville – 25 stores and offices
- 1900 – Washington – Business district
- 1902 – Clinton – Entire southern section of
town, including 43 stores
- 1907 – Salisbury – Five manufacturing plants
- 1911 – Apex – Business district
- 1912 – Black Mountain – Business district
- 1913 – Rolesville – Business district, 10
buildings
- 1914 – Durham – Large portion of business
district
- 1918 – Charlotte – 48 homes
- 1918 – Burlington - Downtown
- 1922 – New Bern – 40 blocks, 3000
homeless
Spoken: One state historian has written that practically every city and town in North Carolina has experienced a major fire that destroyed dozens or hundreds of buildings. Some of those fires are listed here. The Great New Bern Fire was one of the last major conflagrations in our state.
Great Fire of New Bern - 1922
- December 1, 1922
- Many firemen out of town
- Started first at lumberyard (8:35 a.m.)
- Then at house on other side of town (10:00 a.m.)
- Spread over dozens of blocks.
- Kinston, Washington called.
- Dynamite to blast houses to create fire break.
- Controlled by late afternoon.
- Forty blocks destroyed
- Hundreds of homes,
numerous business and churches burned.
Fire Horses
Salem - Burlington
– 1879, Raleigh – 1883, Asheville – 1887, Charlotte – 1890, Durham
− Stabled at stations, other places − Some shared with other city depts − Replaced after several years − Transported by rail for mutual aid − Retired starting 1910s
Water Systems
– 1778, Salem – 1820, Fayetteville
– 1848, Greensboro – 1852, Raleigh
– 1882, Charlotte – 1887, Raleigh – 1888, Durham – 1892, Wilson – 1893, Fayetteville – 1895, Lumberton – 1899, Statesville
Raleigh
Water Systems
– 1778, Salem – 1820, Fayetteville
– 1848, Greensboro – 1852, Raleigh
Raleigh
Spoken: Wells, streams, rivers, lakes, and ocean fronts provided natural water supplies for firefighting. Early water systems in Salem and Fayetteville pumped water through wooden logs turned into
Century, fire cisterns were installed in such places as Greensboro and Raleigh. These were underground tanks that were filled by rainwater through gutter systems.
