Charles Barr, my great-great grandfather, was originally from Canada. He eventually moved to Salem, Massachusetts where he worked for the local gas company. At the time, Salem was a busy industrial town, where many immigrants from French-Canada, Ireland, Poland, and Italy settled. His second wife’s large, extended family lived there, and his youngest child, Alice, was born in Salem. Charlie’s eldest daughter, Bernadette, remained in Canada with relatives after her mother’s death, and he wanted to bring her to America. He was working hard, hoping to save enough money to buy property and send for her when a massive fire swept through Salem, destroying everything they owned. The Great Salem Fire of 1914 was one of the most disastrous fires of the 20th century. “Disaster” is the theme for Week 35 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge.
In 1914, about 20% of Salem residents were French-Canadian immigrants and their Franco-American children. The majority lived in a neighborhood called the Point or “la Pointe” in French, situated between the South River and Palmer Cove, flanked by Lafayette Street to the west. They gathered at the newly built St. Joseph’s Church to worship and socialize. Many of their young children attended the church school. The Point was truly a community within itself, though the living conditions weren’t always ideal. Most residents lived in tenement housing – apartments that were three stories high and packed so closely together that if your neighbor wanted to borrow a cup of sugar, you could literally pass it to them through the open window. Much of this housing was built by factories for their workers.
1914 was a dry year, with drought-like conditions. When a series of explosions rocked the Korn Leather Factory on the afternoon of June 25, the fire spread rapidly from its starting point on Boston Street. Shifting winds fanned the flames, and sparks drifted onto the roofs of adjoining buildings, igniting them. Alarms rang throughout the city and the residents fled their homes and workplaces as the fire spread south. Salem firefighters were quickly overwhelmed and called the towns of Beverly, Peabody, Marblehead, and Lynne for assistance. Over 20 fire departments in surrounding areas came to Salem’s aid, including Boston, which loaded firefighting equipment onto a railcar and joined them. 1,700 National Guard soldiers were called up to assist the firefighters and prevent looting, but fears of looting were unfounded – people were too busy escaping the looming inferno and grabbing up their own possessions to steal from others.
Despite all the help, firefighters struggled to contain the blaze. Blankets and rugs soaked in salt water were spread over rooftops. Ten homes were demolished with dynamite in an effort to keep the fire from spreading. It took nearly 15 hours to extinguish the blaze, though places throughout the city smoldered for weeks after, drawing tourists and gawkers to the ruined city.
By the time the fire was out, 253 acres of Salem were left in ruin, including historic Lafayette Street and the entire Point neighborhood. Charles lived on Peabody Street which was close to South River and the Naumkeag Steam Cotton Mill – probably the largest employer of French-Canadian workers in that neighborhood. His home and the mill were both destroyed in the blaze. Beautiful St. Joseph’s Church was also gone – its brick edifice standing hauntingly over the rubble. The close-knit Point residents gathered with other displaced people in disbelief. Everything they owned was in their homes, and unless they were fortunate enough to grab some possessions before fleeing, they were left with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
The devastation was astronomical. In total, 1,376 of the city’s 5,826 buildings were destroyed. It’s estimated that of the city’s 48,000 residents, 18,000 people were left homeless and 10,000 left jobless. The fire caused over $15 million in damages (adjusted for inflation, that’s $438 million today). Miraculously, only three people lost their lives and 60 were injured. Had the fire broken out in the middle of the night instead of during the afternoon, the death toll would have been much higher.
Newspapers reported on the fire for months after, and though their motivation was to sell more newspapers, keeping the disaster in the news helped those who were displaced. As tent cities popped up in public spaces, organizations rushed to help. The Red Cross distributed food and clothing donated by groups. A Relief Committee was established, assisted by local churches, lodges, societies, and the Boy Scouts. People from all over the state and beyond donated what they could, whether it was pocket change, old clothing, food from their gardens, or their time. Some groups sold flowers or baked goods to raise money. Newspapers published the names of those who directly donated money to the Relief Fund, an acknowledgment that likely brought in additional funds from residents who wanted their names in the paper and larger donations from businesses that wanted to be remembered for their generosity. In all, about $130,000 was raised (more than one million dollars, adjusted for inflation).
The city also established a Rebuilding Commission, which went to work rebuilding the city as swiftly as possible. Measures were taken to prevent future fires. Streets were widened, and building codes were updated. Within two years, most of the Point neighborhood was rebuilt, though that was two years too late for many of its residents. Because the entirety of the Point was destroyed, and with it the surrounding industries that employed most of the residents in the area, the French community was hit harder than other groups. 43% of those left jobless, homeless, or both were French-Canadians and their children. Many French-Canadians who lost everything struggled to find work and couldn’t wait it out in tents or temporary housing. They moved to surrounding areas, or in some cases back to Canada, resulting in a mass-exodus. Of the 15,000 French-Canadian residents prior to the fire, only 5,000 remained in the city.
Charles and his family were among those who lost nearly everything they owned and left Salem. They settled in Westbrook, Maine where he hung out his shingle as a builder. It’s unclear why he chose to leave Salem if he was going into building and carpentry; work for someone with his skills would have been plentiful. Charles was probably unable to wait months and months for construction to begin, and instead moved his family to the mill town where work and housing were plentiful. In all likelihood, he secured a job at one of the factories to provide for his family while he established his carpentry business on the side.
I always find it fascinating how historical events affected our ancestors and shaped our own history. It’s the whole “butterfly effect” – if certain events hadn’t happened, we wouldn’t be here. Due to the success of his carpentry business, Charles was able to purchase a home on Myrtle Street, and send for his daughter, Bernadette, a year later. Bernadette and her little sister, Alice, both met their husbands in Westbrook, married, and remained there all their lives. Had it not been for the Great Salem Fire of 1914, their lives would have looked very different.
Sources:
Photos:
Men Looking at the Great Salem Fire: https://digitalrepository.salemstate.edu/handle/20.500.13013/523
The Point (French District) from Lafayette St. Salem: https://digitalrepository.salemstate.edu/handle/20.500.13013/518
New French Church Lafayette St. Salem: https://digitalrepository.salemstate.edu/handle/20.500.13013/508
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