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FARMINGTON – There will be an exhibit recognizing the 123rd anniversary of the great fire of downtown Farmington, from Oct. 22 through Oct. 24. The Farmington Historical Society will exhibit photos which will showcase the downtown prior to 1886, the ruins after the fire and today which shows the rebuilding that occurred after 1886.
“It is fascinating to see the streets, businesses and people before the 1886 fire. The pictures of the ruins show that this was a catastrophic event in Farmington and allows us to show the public some of the fantastic photos in our collection.” Farmington Historical Society member Taffy Davis said.
Nancy Porter, historical society curator pulled all the pictures and slides together, as well as creating a map showing the burned area and businesses. The map and a reprint of the Wilton Record dated Oct. 27, 1886 will be available. The exhibit is made possible from a grant from the Western Mountains Fund of the Maine Community Foundation.
There will also be a scavenger hunt for children. Parents will need to assist their youngster in following a map to important locations related to the 1886 fire. A map, locations and descriptions as well as a card to stamp can be picked up at the exhibit site. After visiting the eight downtown locations and stamping their card, the card can be returned to the exhibit site where the child will receive a certificate to recognize them as a “Young Farmington Historian.”
The fire started on a Friday afternoon, October 22, 1886 in a barn containing 45 tons of hay. It was located next to the railroad tracks on the west side of Pleasant St., now the street level parking area for the Granary restaurant. The fire was catastrophic by burning three churches, the post office, three hotels, 42 businesses, 32 dwellings and stables and leaving 96 families homeless. All printing of newspapers ceased as both offices burned.
The exhibit will be held at the old Sun Journal office on Main St., next to Tranten’s. Hours include: Thursday Oct. 22, from 1 to 6 pm. Friday, Oct. 23, from 1 to 6pm. Saturday, Oct. 24 from 10 to 4pm. For more information, please contact Taffy Davis 778-4275.
I hope folks will take a few minutes out of their busy day(s) to take a look at the display. It’s pretty incredible that we have as many pictures as we do about this horrendous event. Thanks to the fellows at the Fire Dept., we got some great info on the fire fighting equipment “of that day”. No ladder truck, no hydrants to hook up to for water, not much in the way of mutual aid. Add to that the windy night and it was a recipe for disaster.
But like a phoenix, Farmington rose from the ashes to become a great little town with tree lined streets (again).