DORCHESTER, WISCONSIN FIRES



This Picture taken about 1915, shows the buildings lost in the fire on May 17, 1929. With the fire starting on the corner of Front Street and First Avenue it destroyed the first four buildings on the left; stopping at the Dorchester State Bank.

Fires are mentioned repeatedly in early writings, and with the exception of illness must have been one of the greatest hardships of the first settlers. With little or no fire fighting equipment, roofs of wooden shingles and buildings made of fast-burning pine, a fire could mean complete loss of all one's property in a short time.

Mrs. August Homsted in 1918 tells: In 1888 a destructive fire visited the town and burned all the places of business except one store and a building which stood where the Block Hotel now stands. In 1897 a second fire occurred. It started just beyond where the Smith Hotel stands and burned an entire block to the corner

Dorchester's worst fire occurred on the night of May 1, 1923.

The headlines of the May 4, 1923 issue of the Weekly Clarion read: Dorchester Has Heavy Fire Loss. Quote:
The most serious fire since 1895 in the village occurred Tuesday night when 15 buildings, including barns were burned. The fire started in the bowling alley about 12 o'clock and no one seems to know what caused it. Mrs. Herman Kronschnable, postmaster, and family were awakened by the breaking of windows in their own building from the heat. The family barely escaped with what clothing they could grab and gave the alarm. By this time the post office and the Paulson garage on the south side were in flames.

The breaking of the drive shaft on the fire engine put the Dorchester fire engine out of commission so calls were sent to Abbotsford and Medford. Both places respondedwith chemical engines. The arrival of the two engines helped to save the rest of the town from burning. . . The loss is estimated at $150,000.00. The property destroyed was: Joe Bauernfeind, residence; Sauter's Bowling Alley Paulson's Garage; Kronschnable, post office and sheds; Homsted, drug store and barn Fuchsgruber, store and barn Holtz Bros., gen. Mdse. Store; Holtz residence; Oberbilling residence Dr. Foley's office; Weekly Clarion office; John Schafer, barn and Hunt, ice house.

The fire leveled one block of buildings on the south end of Front Street, leaving the Buehrens Mfg. Co. building (now Dorchester Furniture) standing alone. It also went west on First Avenue taking all the buildings in the first block, with the exception of the corner house (then Lapp home), on the south side of the street.

Another fire on May 17, 1929 destroyed four business places in the downtown district at Dorchester, with an estimated loss amounting to $25,000.00. The fire originated in the Heuser building in the early morning and with a strong wind spread rapidly. Fire departments, (in addition to Dorchester s) from Abbotsford and Owen with their chemical engines Colby and it new motored fire truck and nearby farmers with pails gave assistance.

Beginning on the corner of Front Street and First Avenue the buildings destroyed were the two-story rooming house and restaurant of Mrs. Henry Heuser, the Fred Martens soft drink parlor (this being Prohibition Days) called Pickwick Inn, G. N. Schultz restaurant and the G. N. Schultz (occupied by Rutzky) general merchandise store. The fire went north as far as the Dorchester State Bank, and since it was covered with brick, was kept from spreading further. The bank suffered broken windows and some interior damage.

SOURCE: Historical Sketches of Dorchester, Wisconsin (1873-1973)