Fire!

Fire!. Hidden History. , How was early Port Townsend affected by fire?, Port Townsend's earliest buildings were tightly packed wooden structures, that were both lit and heated by fire. The threat of disastrous, multi-building fire was ever-present. Entire city blocks could be lost in a few hours, taking lives and devastating the city. The fire department began as a volunteer company, but by 1882 the city had taken on the responsibility. Over the decades, the fire department expanded to include alarm systems and multiple fire stations. The wooden fire bell tower on Jefferson Street is one of only a few surviving examples across the country., . August 23, 1871 , - S'Klallam village of qatáy burned by order of the US federal government, . September 6, 1885 , - A blacksmith fire destroys nearly 20 buildings, . June 17, 1900 , - Fire levels Uptown's commercial district along Lawrence Street, . September 24, 1900 , - Fire consumes the city's Chinese and Chinese American district., . April 6, 1923 , - W. H. Learned Opera House lost to fire, nearby structures saved, . August 4, 2003 , - Aldrich's Market, Uptown business since 1896, burned in entirety - was rebuilt, "Since June we have had five fires with two blocks burned. Three have been proven to have been caused by incendiaries." , -- Annie Louise Barthrop, 1900, [Photo captions, top to bottom, read] , . Fire that took the Chinese and Chinese American district, Washington and Madison streets, 1900., . Firemen with horse-drawn fire pump, adjacent to where you now stand at Historic City Hall.