The Fires of Bunker Hill

Pictured: The Bunker Hill Fire Department, date unknown.  Firemen and horses pose before the old fire house which was replaced in the 1940's

Reprint of our earlier Bunker Hill News article blog postings  at https://bunkerhillhistory.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-fires-of-bunker-hill.html and also at  https://bunkerhillhistory.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-fires-of-bunker-hill.html

From Bunker Hill Revisited Volumes - One and Three    

 

Pictured: Washington St., as viewed from the Opera House corner.  Sanford's south wall on right.

    The fire January 23, 1880, originated in Sanford's Grocery Store on the same ground.  The damage on the fire proper footed up $12,000.  The insurance was fair.[1]

    December 1, 1882, the ground from Bumann's three story building to Sessel's corner and on Warren Street west to the alley, was burned.  The loss totaled $37,000, nearly equally divided between buildings and stock.[1],[2]

These fires occurred on the west side of Washington Street.

Pictured: Warren St. as seen from Klinefelter's store.  Sessel's west wall on right.

    From the Gazette News, September 20, 1893:  On Friday evening, for the third time, fire held a fierce carnival on the west side of Washington Street.  The alarm was given about 6:20 p.m. and within two hours $75,000 worth of the business property in the city had been wiped out.

    The fire originated in the immense barn in the rear of the Johnston block.  It was probably due to the pipe of a tramp or bum, or a cigar of card-playing youngsters.  The facts will never be known.  Almost simultaneously, all buildings south of the Johnston block were ablaze so fiercely that little could be done in the way of saving contents.

    The local fire company did noble work with the fire engine, chemical, and new extinguishers and were nobly seconded by many of our people.  To such effort is due the arrest of the fire at the Johnston block and the saving of the business property on the east side of Washington Street.

    As near as can be ascertained the fire losses were $75,000.  This includes damage to buildings and stocks not destroyed.[3],[4]

Pictured: The old firehouse on West Warren St. used by the local Corps of ground observers in their drills.  The stairway and stage atop the tower were built last year.  The view is taken from east of the building. (photo circa Feb. 3, 1955)

...Read more about this and other Bunker Hill, IL historical stories at https://bunkerhillhistory.org/

--Cite this story: The Bunker Hill IL Historical Society. "A Look Back in Bunker Hill History." Bunker Hill Gazette-News, January 10, 2013, April 30, 2020, February 17, 2022. 

[1]Stanton, Carl L. . "Bunker Hill News 1893." In Bunker Hill Revisited, Volume Three, 1892-1900, p. 62. Bunker Hill: Bunker Hill Publications, 2000. Provided by the Bunker Hill Historical Society.

[2]Stanton, Carl L. . "Bunker Hill News 1882." In Bunker Hill Revisited, Volume Two, 1882-1891, pp. 44-46. Bunker Hill: Bunker Hill Publications, 1999. Provided by the Bunker Hill Historical Society.

[3]Stanton, Carl L. . "Bunker Hill News 1893." In Bunker Hill Revisited, Volume Three, 1892-1900, p. 60-64. Bunker Hill: Bunker Hill Publications, 2003. Provided by the Bunker Hill Historical Society.

[4]Stanton, Carl L. . "Bunker Hill News 1880." In Bunker Hill Revisited, Volume One, 1866-1881, pp. 209-210. Bunker Hill: Bunker Hill Publications, 1997. Provided by the Bunker Hill Historical Society.

History of the Round Prairie Church

 

    The first church to be erected was by the Christian denomination at Round Prairie, Section 32 in Dorchester Township, in the year 1845.  This church would have been about two miles east of the Willis Wolf farm on the Catholic Springs Road.  The first ministers were Robert Foster and Jonathan G. Wood.

The following is from the records of the church:

    Round Prairie Church was organized July the first in the year of our Lord eighteen-hundred and forty  five by appointing the following named persons to the office of the Eldership to wit:  John P. Bayless, Samuel Wood, and Hiram Daugherty, and John Nesbit as Deacon, at the same time.  About 1849, John W. Keller was added to the list of Elders and resigned in 1854 and Johnson McGilvary and W.S. Spruill were ordained as Elders and Levi Miller and William Nesbit were ordained Deacons at the same time.  Johnson McGilvary went off to the Army in 1862 and died.  In 1874, there was added to the Eldership, Peter C. Randle, Albert L. Fairchild, Benjamin Mize, and William Soapes to the Deaconship.  Elder Fairchild moved his membership and died March 12, 1881.  Scott Mize was added to the list of Deacons by the church and Sanford Mize at the same time was appointed as an assistant clerk for the church of Round Prairie.

    January 1, 1865, a subscription for the support of a minister at Round Prairie Church, eighty nine dollars contributed by 16 people.

--Cite this story: The Bunker Hill IL Historical Society. "A Look Back in Bunker Hill History." Bunker Hill Gazette-News, February 10, 2022, April 7, 2022.  

Stanton, Carl L. . "Bunker Hill News 1932." In Bunker Hill Revisited, Volume Six, 1920-1940, p. 120. Bunker Hill: Bunker Hill Publications, 2006. Provided by the Bunker Hill Historical Society.

Redford, Carol, and Betty Triplett. "Bunker Hill History." In Reflections: A History of the Bunker Hill-Woodburn Area, p. 123. Bunker Hill: Bunker Hill Publications, 1993. Provided by the Bunker Hill Historical Society.

Ordinances of the City of Bunker Hill - 1873

Ordinances of the City of Bunker Hill 

Organized April 15, 1873, under the general law of the State of Illinois

City Officers 1873

Mayor: James F. Cummings

Aldermen for two years: S.A. Fletcher; E.S. Williams; and David Morris

Aldermen for one year: H.H. Brown; C.A. Bartels; and John Gosch

City Clerk: S.N. Sanford

Treasurer: John G. Auer

City Attorney: H.R. Budd

An Ordinance relating to misdemeanors:

Sec. 17: Whoever shall, without the consent of the owner or occupant of the premises, fasten any horse or other animal to any tree or to any boxing place around any tree, shall forfeit and pay the sum of not less that one dollar.

Sec. 19: Whoever shall purposely, rapidly, or immoderately ride or drive any horse or mule, or any cattle, or other like animals, or any team in any street or alley of the City of Bunker Hill shall forfeit and pay for each sum of not less that ten dollars. 

Sec. 37: The running of large cows within the city limits of the City of Bunker Hill, between the 15th day of November and the 1st day of April each year, shall forfeit and pay the sum of one dollar for each cow, and in addition, shall pay the sum of one dollar for every twelve hours said cow shall continue to run at large.

Sec. 42: Any person or persons who shall within the city limits carry any concealed on their persons any knife, Bowie knife, pistol, revolver, slingshot, or any dangerous or deadly weapon for the purpose of unlawfully using the same, shall forfeit and pay the sum of not less than twenty-five dollars.

Sec. 44: That any person or persons who shall ride, lead, or drive any horse, mule, or ox upon or over any plank or brick sidewalk within the city limits shall on conviction thereof, be fined not less than three or more than ten dollars.

Pictured: One of the later Ordinances of Bunker Hill

...Read more about this and other Bunker Hill, IL historical stories at https://bunkerhillhistory.org/

--Cite this story: The Bunker Hill IL Historical Society. "A Look Back in Bunker Hill History." Bunker Hill Gazette-News, February 3, 2022.