Central Business District in Lynchburg, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Federal Transient Bureau Fire

Photographed by Michael C. Wilcox, July 5, 2019

1. Federal Transient Bureau Fire Marker

Inscription. The deadliest fire in Lynchburg history occurred here at a Federal Transient Bureau shelter on 24 March 1934. The Bureau, opened by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration as part of the New Deal, housed out-of-work men passing through town during the Great Depression. The two-story building was overcrowded when an early morning kitchen fire spread rapidly and claimed the lives of at least 19 inhabitants; about 70 others were injured. The federal government returned many bodies to their families, but seven were buried locally in the Old City Cemetery. National attention was focused on Lynchburg, and federal guidelines for homeless shelters were improved as a result of this disaster.

Erected 2017 by Virginia Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number Q-6-44.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Disasters. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical date for this entry is March 24, 1934.

Location. 37° 24.719′ N, 79° 8.438′ W. Marker is in Lynchburg, Virginia. It is in the Central Business District. It is at

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the intersection of 12th Street and Church Street on 12th Street. At the Lynchburg Visitors Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 216 12th Street, Lynchburg VA 24504, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Virginia.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Water Bearer (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Lynchburg History (about 800 feet away); Lucile Barrow Turner (approx. 0.2 miles away); Diamond Hill (approx. 0.2 miles away); Cary DeVall Langhorne (1837-1948) (approx. 0.2 miles away); Lucado House (1902) (approx. 0.2 miles away); Lucy Harrison Miller Baber (1908-1996) (approx. 0.2 miles away); Samuel F. Kelso (approx. 0.2

Photographed by Michael C. Wilcox, July 5, 2019

2. Federal Transient Bureau Fire Marker

miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lynchburg.

Photographed by Michael C. Wilcox, July 5, 2019

3. Federal Transient Bureau Fire Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 7, 2019, by Michael C. Wilcox of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 679 times since then and 38 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 7, 2019, by Michael C. Wilcox of Winston-Salem, North Carolina.