USA > Michigan > Kent County > Grand Rapids > Grand Rapids and Kent County, Michigan: History and Account of Their Progress from First. Vol. I > Part 26
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SCENE AT THE FIRE IN JULY, 1873
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tral Railroad depot building ; on July 8, the wholesale millinery store and other buildings on Bond near Lyon; on Aug. 21, the woodenware works and other shops and warehouse between Hastings and Trow- bridge streets on the east side of old Canal street; on Oct. 11, the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad freight depot on the west side, and on Nov. 27 a building on Pearl street between the Lovett Block and the Arcade.
Early in the history of the embryo city it was deemed advisable to provide for some means to stay the progress of such fires as might from time to time break out in the village, and thus the volunteer fire department had its beginning in 1849. In that year Alert Fire Com- pany was organized, and among the members thereof were such men as Charles H. Taylor, Solomon O. Kingsbury, Wright L. Coffinberry, John Clancy, William D. Roberts, Daniel McConnell, Frank N. God- froy, William H. Almy, Thomas M. Parry, and Wilder D. Foster, all of whom were young men who became widely known in later years. Charles H. Taylor became the first foreman of the company. By dint of much solicitation, the department succeeded, the same year, in ob- taining for its use a hand engine from Rochester, N. Y., which was considered at that time a great acquisition, and which later did good service on more than one occasion. There were three fire companies in existence at the time of the incorporation of the city, in 1850, and each company was uniformed and pretty well equipped for that peri- od, the members of each taking pride in their organization. A joint organization of the companies had been effected, and they assumed the name and dignity of a fire department, with Ira S. Hatch as chief engineer, and Wilson Jones as assistant chief. Under the revised city charter of 1857, by an ordinance passed July 30, 1859, the fire department was reorganized, and a chief engineer and four assistants were elected, and ten fire wardens-two for each ward-were ap- pointed. The first officials thus charged with the conduct and man- agement of the city fire department were Wilder D. Foster, chief en- gineer ; William Hyde, F. G. Martindale, Thomas W. Porter, and Henry Martin, first, second, third, and fourth assistants, respectively. But it was not until 1895 that the full pay fire department came into existence, although for a dozen years prior to that time the depart- ment had what was termed a half pay system, under which its mem- bers followed such occupations as they chose during the day, and were required to be on duty as firemen only at night.
The Eagle Hotel fire, which occurred on Feb. 5, 1883, should be mentioned among the conflagrations, as it was sufficient in its impor- tance to deserve a place in the history of the city. When the flames were first discovered, at 1:50 o'clock on the morning of the fated day, they had gained such headway that it was useless to attempt to save the building, and the energies of the members of the fire department were directed to saving adjoining buildings and the lives of the un- fortunate inmates of the hotel. The structure was three stories high, contained probably 100 rooms and was well filled with guests on the night of the fire. Fortunately, all the inmates of the house were roused in ample time and all escaped without further injury than that occurring from getting out of doors on an icy, cold night, undressed. On April 21, of the same year, the Grand Rapids Furniture Com- pany's building on Butterworth avenue was totally destroyed; on
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May 25 a like calamity was visited upon the Carpet Sweeper factory, near the upper end of the canal, and on the following day Noble & Company's plaster mill, three miles down the river, was totally de- stroyed with a loss of $40,000.
On the afternoon of June 7, 1892, the ignition of escaping gas under the stage caused a fire to break out in Powers' Opera House, on Pearl street. By the prompt action of the fire department the flames were gotten fully under control, but not until the interior of the popular playhouse had been converted into a charred mass of ruins. On Nov. 8 of the same year a fire occurred in the lumber yards of the Michigan Barrel Company on North Monroe street. The origin of this fire was never ascertained. The value of the lumber and other property destroyed was placed at $10,000. On Nov. 22 fire broke out from causes unknown in the factory of the Folding Table Company, corner of Wealthy avenue and South Ionia street. The building was a wooden one, and on account of the nature of its con- tents was entirely consumed.
May 23, 1895, was long remembered as a day of fire. Shortly after the noon hour the department was called to put out a fire which started from electric wires in the stables of Greenly & Company, cor- ner of Ionia and Fountain streets. The building was entirely con- sumed, the loss being $2,300, fully covered by insurance. The stable was an old frame building, owned by Mrs. Anna Newkirk. The fire- men had been at work scarcely an hour when another alarm was turned in, calling them to the rescue of the Second Reformed Church, on Bostwick street near Lyon street, and which had been fired by sparks from the burning barn. It was one of the most spectacular fires ever seen in the city, and its progress was witnessed by thou- sands of residents. The fire first caught around the base of the stee- ple, completely girdling it, when it fell, crushing in the roof of the edifice. Only the walls were left standing, and the loss to the church society and contiguous dwellings, which were badly scorched, was $17,620.
On the night of Jan. 26, 1896, occurred a fire which, by the pe- culiar circumstances, is warranted more than a passing notice. Shortly before midnight the residents of the city were startled by an explo- sion which was heard for miles around. Even residents on the West Side were so startled by it that they dressed hastily and rushed out of doors, believing it to be near their homes. As a matter of fact the explosion was in the residence of W. E. Boyd, 244 Fuller street, and it was of such terrific force that the building was lifted off the foun- dation walls and deposited several feet distant. Passersby noted that flames burst out all over the building at about the moment of the explosion. The house was furnished at the time, Mr. and Mrs. Boyd living in rooms down town. Both house and contents were entirely consumed at a loss of $2,200. The fire is supposed to have been in- cendiary.
A very destructive fire occurred Feb. 17, 1896, when the House- man Block, at the corner of Ottawa and Pearl streets, burned. The night was bitter cold, and when the firemen responded to an alarm at 2:55 a. m., they had before them about as severe a job of fire fighting as they had ever experienced. The fire had gained considerable head-
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way when the department arrived, and it became necessary for the men to devote their first attention to removing the people from the building, as the escape of those unfortunate ones had been cut off from the regular stairway. Battalion Chief Walker went to the top floor of the old building and there found Mrs. Wedgewood crouched upon the floor. He removed her into the corridor of the new build- ing, where she was turned over to Patrolman White of the police de- partment, and conveyed to the ground. Captain John Goodrich, of Hose Company No. 4, found a man and a woman, and later a small boy, lying upon the floor of the burning building, and carried them to a place of safety. Captain Boughner and his son, of Truck No. 4, rescued Captain McCarthy of the Reed's Lake steamer, "Hazel A.," together with his wife and daughter. The captain and his men con- tinued the work of searching for occupants of the building, and later rescued Mr. and Mrs. Pickle, Mr. and Mrs. Gibbons, and Mr. and Mrs. N. P. Allen. Other persons made their escape by the means of the iron fire ladder in the rear of the building, being assisted by printers employed in the composing room of the Grand Rapids Democrat, and by Captain Fenn and men, of Truck No. 3. There were two deaths as the result of the fire, Mrs. Wedgewood and H. W. Beecher, the lat- ter a prominent insurance man. The death in each case was due to inhaling the smoke and the excitement incident to the occasion. The firemen suffered severely while performing their duty. The total loss was $33,092.25.
July 18, 1901, was a day long remembered. There had stood for several years on the southwest corner of Ottawa and Monroe streets a building known as the Luce Block. The tenants had been making extensive repairs and had removed some important partitions. About 1 o'clock in the morning there came a noise like the belching of many cannon or the bellowing of mighty thunder. Citizens were awakened and saw immense clouds of dust rolling and tumbling about where the Luce Block had stood. Owing to its weakened condition it had collapsed. An alarm of fire was turned in and the department re- sponded. If there was fire, as testimony in court subsequently tended to prove, previously to the collapse, the latter so smothered it that when the apparatus reached the scene no fire was visible. Chief Lemoin sent the firemen back to their stations, and he remained to watch the course of events. Suddenly the whole heterogeneous mass became a seething, roaring furnace. Alarms were again sounded and in rushed the various pieces of fire-fighting machinery. It proved to be a fierce, stubborn, contrary fire, and smoldered for days. John O'Connor fell from a ladder and sustained injuries from which he never fully recovered. The loss was total and reached hundreds of thousands of dollars. The insurance was eventually paid, but not un- til several suits for payment of the same were instigated.
As the result of a stroke of lightning in a severe electrical storm, in the early morning of Aug. 4, 1908, the Grand Rapids Paper Box Company, at Campau and Fulton streets, was damaged to the extent of $50,000. All of the fire department not attending other fires, of which there were several at the time, was summoned and an effort was made to confine the flames to the north portion of the building, where the blaze originated, but in spite of the efforts of the firemen
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the three upper floors of the four-story building were destroyed and the roof fell with a crash. The contents on the first floor, including machinery, were saved.
The entire block of stores and buildings on Grandville avenue, between Coates and Lillie streets, was threatened by a conflagration, May 20, 1911. The fire originated in the storage room of the Valley City Biscuit Company's bakery. The flames spread with lightning rapidity and in less than an hour the bakery was completely destroyed, two stores were badly burned and three residences and a barn were damaged by fire and water. The damage to the bakery was esti- mated at $25,000, while losses to other buildings and contents aggre- gated $10,300. A heavy downpour of rain soon after the fire origi- nated probably prevented a more disastrous blaze. There have been other fires of note in Grand Rapids, but those mentioned have been the most destructive both as to life and property.
FRATERNAL AND OTHER SOCIETIES.
The social spirit of the city of Grand Rapids is revealed in a long list of secret and benevolent societies, and from the records of each organization it would seem that each one is prosperous. The first meeting of the Masonic fraternity in the then village was held on March 19, 1849. At that time there were between forty and fifty Ma- sons in Grand Rapids, and among those who petitioned for a dispen- sation, under which a lodge of Free and Accepted Masons could be organized, we find the names of Truman H. Lyon, Ira S. Hatch, Aaron Dikeman, Henry Eaton, William D. Moore, Julius Granger, and George M. Mills. The first officials of "Grand River Lodge" were: Truman H. Lyon, master; Ira S. Hatch, senior warden, and Aaron Dikeman, junior warden; and in addition to these gentlemen, those who signed the by-laws were Henry Eaton, treasurer; William D. Moore, secretary ; Julius Granger, senior deacon; George M. Mills, junior deacon.
Valley City Lodge No. 86 was organized in 1856. Among the charter members were David S. Leavitt, worshipful master; James W. Sligh, senior warden, and Edward S. Earle, junior warden. This lodge has been quite prosperous. Doric Lodge No. 342 came next in point of organization, and the original officers were William K. Whee- ler, worshipful master; N. B. Scribner, senior warden; and W. B. Folger, junior warden. York Lodge No. 410 was organized under a dispensation, the first meeting, a special communication, being held Sept. 7, 1894, and the original officers were Charles Fluhrer, worship- ful master; Edmund M. Barnard, senior warden; Fred H. Ball, junior warden. Malta Lodge No. 465 was organized on July 7, 1911, the charter being granted May 29, 1912, and the original officers were Louis T. Herman, worshipful master; A. J. Williams, senior war- den; Glenn P. Thayer, junior warden.
On March 19, 1850, was organized the first Chapter of Royal Arch Masons in the city, under the name of "Grand Rapids Chapter No. 7." Among the charter members were Truman H. Lyon, Amos Roberts, William Blackall, Joshua Boyer, and Forris D'A. Foster, and the first convocations of the chapter were held in the upper story of a little stone building on Market avenue, near Monroe. Columbian .
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Chapter No. 132 was organized under a charter granted on Jan. 16, 1894, among the charter members being Harvey C. Taft, Joseph C. Herkner, and J. Edward Earle. Of the Royal and Select Masters there is but one council in the city-Tyre Council No. 10.
On July 23, 1856, a commandery was organized in Grand Rap- ids, and among the charter members were D. S. Leavitt, William P. Innes, and Fred Hall. The charter was subsequently granted by the Grand Commandery of Michigan on July 2, 1858, and the first officers under the charter were David S. Leavitt, eminent commander ; James W. Sligh, senior warden; William K. Wheeler, junior warden; James W. Sligh, treasurer ; John McConnell, recorder.
To epitomize the Masonic order in Grand Rapids there are now, thanks to the persistent work of the members of the organizations, five Blue lodges, two Royal Arch Chapters, a Commandery of Knights Templar, the Scottish Rite bodies, and five Eastern Star chapters. One of the acts of Masonry in the city was the erection of the Ma- sonic Temple, which is one of the most beautiful lodge buildings in the West.
From the beginning of its Masonic activity the city has enjoyed considerable prominence in that universal fraternity. Lovell Moore served as master of the Grand Lodge of Michigan, in 1864; John W. Champlin in 1871, William Dunham in 1877, R. C. Hathaway in 1887, Edwin L. Bowring in 1895, and John Rowson in 1905; and William P. Innes was elected secretary of the Grand Lodge, in 1878, and served in that position until his death, in 1892. In the Thirty-third degree-an honor desired by every member of the order, and which is realized by only a very few-Grand Rapids has been exceptionally fortunate. At the beginning of the year 1918 the following named Masons now resident in the city were the possessors of that distinction, and it speaks well for the Masonic spirit of this locality: Richard D. Swartout, Wilson R. Andress, Guy Johnston, Bruce Moore, John Rowson, Wil- liam Alden Smith, Clarence W. Sessions, William E. Elliott, S. Eugene Osgood, Mark Norris, George G. Steketee, and Axtel P. Johnson.
Irving Lodge No. 11 was the pioneer Odd Fellows' lodge in the city of Grand Rapids, and it was duly instituted on Jan. 15, 1846, with five charter members. They were Samuel B. Ball, Harvey P. Yale, William D. Roberts, Benjamin Smith, and Joseph Stanford. Irving Lodge continued work eleven years, and then surrendered its charter to the Grand Lodge, Jan. 21, 1857. In 1858, Grand Rapids Lodge No. 11, which was really a revival of Irving Lodge No. 11 under a new name, was instituted, and among its charter members were Lewis Porter, James M. Green, Eben Smith, jr., and Ebenezer Anderson. On Aug. 5, 1873, a charter was granted for a new lodge in Grand Rap- ids, to be known as Enterprise Lodge No. 212. The first officers in- stalled were: Henry Baldry, noble grand; H. M. Reynolds, vice- grand; A. W. Paris, recording secretary; A. G. Duffers, permanent secretary, and Allen Engle, treasurer. Its lodge room was in Luce's Block. On June 29, 1885, it was consolidated with Grand Rapids Lodge No. 11, to which it turned over its property and $549.42 in cash. Wallhalla Lodge No. 249, chartered in 1875, was the first one authorized to work in the German language. Its charter was granted on the petition of nine members, and it continued work until August,
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1882, when it surrendered its charter. The other Grand Rapids lodges are: Creston Lodge No. 41, Enterprise Lodge No. 406, Grand River Lodge No. 12, Imperial Lodge No. 427, and South End Lodge No. 250. In the city there are sixteen organizations of all sorts of the Odd Fellows' fraternity. Inasmuch as the organization was the first to take root in the embryo city of Grand Rapids its growth has been favored with that advantage. It has expanded to the extent that there are canton and encampment lodges and a number of organiza- tions of which women are the directing geniuses.
Eureka Lodge No. 2 of the Knights of Pythias order was organ- ized by G. H. Allen, Chancellor Commander of Olympic Lodge No. 1, of Detroit, assisted by E. A. Smith, I. Esdal, F. Rice, A. W. Crotine, and other members of the order resident in Detroit. Among those who became members of this pioneer lodge of the Knights of Pythias were H. H. Chipman, J. S. Long, A. Walling, W. J. Long, C. B. Bene- dict, William P. Innes, W. F. Bradley, L. E. Hawkins, S. P. Ben- nett, W. H. Sheller, S. P. Stevens, and C. H. Deane, the nine gentle- men last named constituting the first corps of officers. Valley City Lodge was instituted in 1890 and Imperial Lodge in 1892, and on Jan. 6, 1908, these three lodges were consolidated into one, taking the name of Grand Rapids Lodge No. 2. The order has grown rapidly in popular favor and membership, and Cowan Lodge and Lily Lodge are prosperous local units of the order, making a total of three lodges in the city at the present time. The Uniform Rank division of the order is also represented by Valley City Company No. 26. Cowan Temple No. 101 and Mizpah Temple No. 6 are the lodges of Pythian Sisters.
The Royal Arcanum instituted Bryant Council in Grand Rapids, in 1879, and two councils are now in existence in the city, known respectively as Bryant and Valley City.
Grand Rapids has more lodges than the average city of its size, and of the scores who find a home here it is practically impossible in the space allowed to give an individual mention of more than a few. In doing this an effort has been made to select those which to the greatest extent have withstood the vicissitudes of years. The younger organizations are equally entitled to honorable mention, and if it were possible to do so within the scope of this work it would cheerfully be given them. The local lodges of Elks and Eagles have had a phe- nomenal growth in the period since their formation, and together they have a total membership running well up into the thousands and constantly increasing. One of the features of lodge life in the Valley City was the Inaugural Masonic Fair, in 1915, when thousands of vis- itors from all portions of the country attended and made merry in the city for more than a week.
The Modern Woodmen of America, one of the largest orders in existence, has five active lodge organizations in the city. There are a number of Catholic organizations, of which may be mentioned a lodge of the Knights of Columbus. The work of these organizations has been co-operative with the work of the Roman Catholic Church and the result has been shown in the interest taken in the acquiring of insurance protection and in the fraternal features of the organiza- tions.
There are five lodges of the Independent Order of Foresters in the city, and in all there are in Grand Rapids, counting the temper-
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ance organizations which class themselves as fraternal organizations, 152 lodges. It points to the vast fraternal spirit which pervades the Valley City and the fact that Grand Rapids is a city of home-loving men and women. And women are not weak in their organizations. In the auxiliaries to the Masonic, Odd Fellows, and other organiza- tions are found memberships as great if not greater than any found in the male orders. This may be explained in a measure when it is seen that the women's orders may be joined by any female members of the family of a member of the main organization. There are a number of labor unions, of different kinds and having different names, represented in Grand Rapids.
In addition to the fraternal and labor organizations, of which brief mention has been made in the foregoing pages, there are in ex- istence at the present time scores of associations, societies, and clubs of various kinds, including the sporting and recreation associations, the musical societies, and established associations for promoting what may be called the general business interests of Grand Rapids. There are also many minor associations of business and professional men, organized to advance special interests or promote social intercourse among the members.
CEMETERIES.
Around the resting places which have been set apart for the burial of the dead lingers the tenderness of the living, and it is fitting that this chapter which is devoted to the city of Grand Rap- ids should be closed with a brief review of the cemeteries.
Fulton Street cemetery was established in 1838, by the trustees of the village, who purchased of James Ballard six acres of ground of what is now a part of that "city of the dead." It was to be re- served and used expressly as a cemetery for the village of Grand Rap- ids, one-third of it for the Roman Catholics, and it was to be kept in order and repair at the expense of the village, but the original tract has since been largely added to. Since the cemetery was originally laid out, large sums of money have been expended in cutting and smoothing wide, graveled roadways, maintaining beautiful flower beds, planting trees, erecting a fine fountain and otherwise making it a beautiful and restful city of the dead. For beauty of natural loca- tion and taste in artificial adornment it has not many superiors. The first interment on the record appears to have been Andrew Haldene, who died Sept. 6, 1835.
In the early history of Grand Rapids there was a plat of ground in the "Village of Kent," west of Livingston street and between Wal- bridge and Coldbrook streets, which was used as a burial place for citizens. A few graves were made there at an early day, and occa- sional burials down to as late as 1855, but it was never formally dedi- cated to the public. The remains interred there were later removed, chiefly to Fulton Street cemetery. In the early village days a parcel of ground, near where is now the corner of Madison avenue and Cher- ry street, was used occasionally for burial purposes. Subsequently the remains which had been placed there were also removed to the Fulton Street cemetery.
When the white people came into this region there was an Indian burial ground on the West Side, nearly opposite the foot of the rap- ids. Its use as a cemetery was continued by the Catholic priest or
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missionary who came there, and near it the little church of Father Baraga was situated. Thus it became the early Catholic cemetery, and was used as such until after the Indians removed and other grounds were procured by the Catholics on the east side of the river. As before stated, one-third of the Fulton Street cemetery was set apart for their use. St. Andrew's cemetery was established on the east side of Madison avenue, between Prince and Delaware streets, in 1852, ten acres having been purchased from William Howard by Rev. Charles L. DeCeunink and deeded to Bishop Lefeore, in December of the same year. This ground becoming too small, and also being in the city limits, what is now known as the Mt. Calvary cemetery was purchased on May 3, 1882, by the Rev. John C. Ehrenstrasser, who was then pastor in St. Mary's parish, and it was subsequently conse- crated according to the Roman Catholic ritual. The cemetery is lo- cated on the south side of Leonard street, near the western limits of the city, and it is nicely improved. The Polish Catholic cemetery is situated in the township of Walker, northeast corner of Walker and North streets, and one-half mile west of the city limits.
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