In
January 1952 Nelle Bradley prepared a paper for the Historical Society Meeting
entitled, So As By Fire, about THE
fire on Main Street on December 30, 1880. The entire paper can be readhere.
The
entire article is six standard pages long, and therefore I’ve taken paragraphs
from that paper and added photographs from the socieity’s collection to show before
and after of some of the buildings. What follows are direct quotes from the
paper, my notations being the captions to the pictures.
 |
Looking at Main Street from the steeple of the Baptist Church, pre-1880.
Interlaken Historical Society photo #383 |
The
story goes, that on the present site of the Masonic building stood a frame
house occupied by Peter R. Shafer, a jeweler.
In the
middle of a very cold night, 16 below zero, on the 30th of December 1880,
flames were discovered coming from Mr. Shafer’s house. He had emptied hot ashes
into a wooden ash barrel.
The
village was without fire-fighting equipment with the exception of a small hand
pump. Men, women and children carried water and did everything possible for
human beings to do to stay the fire’s progress, but it continued on up the
street.
The
next house to catch fire was that of the Widow Carman and her two daughters,
one of whom was a dressmaker. George Mosher’s harness shop burned next and then
a small one-story building owned by Enoch Covert and used at that time as a
meat market.
There
was no stopping the fire’s advance now and it leveled the hardware store of
Frank Case, a brother of C. Fred Case. Thad Rappleye’s tin shop was on the
second floor of this store.
The
general store of James C. Knight was next in line. It was much larger than the
other stores and a porch roof, similar to the one at Minor’s hardware store,
reached over the stone sidewalk.
 |
James Knight Store, Main Street, pre-1880 fire.
Interlaken Historical Society photo #47 |
In a
corner of this store, Jas. C. Knight & Co., established in 1860, the first
banking office in Farmer. The safe he used is purported to be the one now in
use in the Interlaken Post Office. [see also December 10th Ira Johnson Funeral Bill.]
On the
corner of Main and Lodi Streets (now West Avenue), separated by a few feet from
Knight’s store,
stood the old Exchange Hotel. This hotel had been built by Jacob S. Rappleye in
1823, early in Farmer’s history.
It had
thick brick walls and a balcony along the front and side extended over a
flagstone porch. Good pictures of this hotel have been preserved.
 |
Deyo's Hotel, front of James Knight's store on right.
Corner of Main Street at West Ave. pre-1880 fire.
Interlaken Historical Society photo #139. |
It was
thought that this brick hotel would escape destruction so people from the
burning buildings brought things to the hotel for safety. One little panic
stricken woman limped in with a bed pillow under each arm and her sister came
carrying only a piece of underwear. The story is told of Mr. Knight that he
salvaged a large cheese box but when he found it empty of cheese he was so
angry he threw it back into the fire.
Wet
carpets were spread on the hotel roof, but it was doomed, too, as a barrel of
oil in Knight’s store, exploding, blew out the hotel windows and flames sucked
in.
Hattie
Taylor says that an agent from the city, spending the night there, was slow to
be aroused when they shouted, “Fire.”
He asked, sleepily, “What ward is it in?” He was told, “If you don't get out it
will be your last ward.”
Many
things were carried from the hotel to the Baptist Church yard only to fall into
the hands of looters. Mr. Trusdell and several others had no insurance. Across
from the hotel the residence of C. Q. Bergen (now occupied by Clarence Pell)
was not reached by the fire. It was a fairly new house at this time, but let us
leave our story for a while to tell of the building that originally stood on
that site, facing up Lodi Street. [2017 the U S Post Office is at this
location, see January 30, 1961]
But we
must return to the Big Fire and we find that the hotel barn, which was also on
the east side of the street, has been saved by heroic efforts of Mr. Goodrich,
a school teacher, but a bolt of fire from the oil explosion in Knight’s store
had shot across the street and ignited the Post office on the present site of
Jack Wiggins’ service station.
The
name of the Post office had been changed from Farmer to Farmer Village in 1865.
It was the first real post office in the village; a little white, one-story
building. On one side of a narrow aisle stood a wooden bench and beyond it a
small stove. On the other side were the boxes lettered in green. John B. Avery
was Postmaster for many years. It was known that D. C. Wheeler subscribed to a
daily paper! Some of the mail was burned, but the letters were saved.
The
hitching sheds of the hotel, also on the east side of the street, were back of
George Murphy’s cobbling shop. These all burned, and then the 1815 store
building that Mr. Knight had moved across the street and was occupied on the
lower floor by Mon Chandler's pool room. Upstairs, A. W. Porter had a
photograph gallery. A paper of 1876 speaks of his “excellent pictures.” Probably
there were destroyed some pictures of the early village and its inhabitants,
which we should greatly prize today.
Stone
and Crise had a meat market next north, above which lived the Auten sisters. Ed
Redman’s grocery store is now on that site. That, too, burned and the fire
finally was stopped at the frame house now owned by Charles Wiggins, but at
that time was the property of C. Q. Bergen, who had a furniture store in the
front part, while in the rear was his brother Jacob's undertaking rooms and
printing office. Here Jacob Bergen, my great uncle, edited for one year (1867)
the Saturday Evening Journal.
 |
C. Q. Bergen building, now bank parking lot.
Interlaken Historical Society photo #21
See also July 9 Snippet |
New
Year’s Day, 1881, but who on Main Street, looking on those ruins, cried, Happy
New Year!
In
front of the ruined hotel, still swung in the breeze the sign, Stewart House,
W. D. Trusdell, Proprietor. Mrs. Trusdell had rescued all the turkeys that had
been prepared for New Year’s dinner, but the contents of the cellar, the winter’s
supply of vegetables, cabbages, potatoes, etc., burned and continued to smoke
for six weeks.
But in
the minds of some villagers, plans were already forming. Mr. Sessions, of
Cleveland, Ohio, the father-in-law of Frank Case, was in town, having been
called here by the illness of his daughter. Evidently, he was a man of vision
and quick action. He learned that the owner of the hotel was Nina Kraft, of
Syracuse, and he directed Frank Case to telegraph her immediately to ask for an
option on the hotel lot. It was secured and the following day a village lawyer
was sent to Mrs. Kraft to close the deal.
On that
site, as soon as possible, Frank Case began to erect a brick building for his
hardware store. Later, C. Fred Case and H. H. Rappleye conducted the store for
a number of years. The present owner is Don Hanford and it is still a hardware
store.
 |
Built in early 1881 following the fire of 1880
Interlaken Historical Society photo #12 |
When
this building was being erected, John B. Peterson got the idea of having a
store next to Case’s so they arranged for a party wall between the stores and
Mr. Peterson continued the block with a grocery and shoe store. That part is
now a show room for Hanford's electrical appliances.
James
C. Knight continued the brick block, intending it for his general store, but he
died that next summer, and C. Q. Bergen moved his furniture store there. It is
now the Wickes’ Drug Store, and carved in the stone entrance is the date 1881.
The tread of many feet across that threshold had worn down the carving so
recently Charles Wickes had the date recut.
 |
The 1881 date was carved in such a way that it can be read as you enter the store or leave.
Photo by the author. |
Mr.
Knight added a shallower building on the north with the idea of housing the
Bank of O. G. and D. C. Wheeler, but they chose the location where now is the
theatre, and Knight’s building was later extended beyond its original 40-foot
depth to accommodate the tailor shop of Ed and Joe Foote. It is now the Red
and White Store.
This
block was further extended to become the Covert Saddlery Works, which, at
first, was two stories high, but later a third story was added. Starting in a
small way on the east side of the street and doing only hand work, Enoch Covert
and his brother Jim, enlarged their business and in the new building, the
Saddlery Works became a thriving concern. Until the automobile crowded the
horse from the road, it had a wide market for its goods, shipping to Nova
Scotia, Germany and Australia, and one special order was filled for the Czar of
Russia, Charles Teed personally doing the finishing work on it.
 |
Covert Saddlery Block, 1952 Crane feed and display rooms.
photo taken before the wooden structure to the north was built |
Originally,
the stone sidewalk in front of the whole length of this block was roofed over.
The
Carmen women rebuilt next. Theirs was a frame house which since has had several
additions and is now the liquor stare.
 |
Carmen family home 1890s, later Wiggins, Emmons and Overslaugh
The Covert Saddlery on left and Masonic Hall on right
Interlaken Historical Society photo #1567 |
About
1889, a blacksmith shop occupied the lot where the fire had started, but that
happily, was replaced in 1893 by the Masonic building, the main floor of which
is the H. C. Peterson Dry Goods Store.
 |
Early photo of the Masonic Hall Association building
Meeting rooms on the second floor and retail space on the first floor.
See May 30 Snippet for dedication of the meeting rooms
Interlaken Historical Society photo #2033 |
On the
east side of the street, ideas had been taking form also. Mr. Trusdell had
purchased the land where the Post office had stood and where now is the Wiggins’
Service Station. Mr. Trusdell moved back the old hotel barn and built the
Robinson House, again naming it according to custom, for a Mr. Robinson.
It was
a three-story building with mansard roof and had upper and lower porches along
the front. John King was the builder. He also built the Catholic Church.
 |
Hotel Robinson
Interlaken Historical Society photo #720 |
Then,
on a bitter cold, day in February 1939, it, too, burned to the ground, and
Jack
Wiggins’ Service Station takes its place.
 |
1941 Wiggins Gas Station
2017 Quik Fill shops
Interlaken Historical Society photo #1505 |
Meanwhile,
masons were at work erecting a building north of the Robinson House, the
exterior of this brick block being similar to the one across the street, but a
wooden porch ran the length of the building, the porch and stone sidewalk being
roofed over.
It is
said that it was financed by Sam Stone and John Bainbridge.
In the
north half, Sam Stone and Adam Crise continued their meat market. The smaller
part of the south half was taken by George Mosher for a harness shop, while to
the storage space between these two, A. C. Peterson transferred his dry goods
business from his residence on Seneca Street. Later, Mr. Peterson bought this
store and the wall between his and the Mosher store, was removed to accommodate
Mr. Peterson’s growing business. A central stairway led to living quarters on
either side of the second floor and where, for a while, the Petersons lived and
where Howard C. Peterson came into the world.
 |
Sam Stone's Meat Market on the left, Peterson's Dry Goods on the right.
1952 Redman's grocery stone, Hurlbut Caskets and Bill Jay Shoe Store
Interlaken Historical Society photo #332 |
And so,
we arrive back at the old Bergen building that has stood for no-one-knows, how
long. It was a wagon shop in 1842 and has a number of times barely escaped
destruction by fires from the north and from the south and is now owned by
Charles Wiggins.
 |
Ca 1900 photo from the steeple of the Baptist Church
Left side, roof lines of the new brick buildings.
Right side, the Robinson Hotel, Peterson and Stone building
Behind the trees the Bergen building. Top the "new" Goodman hotel.
Interlaken Historical Society photo #1189 |
The
public, in general, was, as is often the case, a gainer by the fire, for from
its ashes rose a neater village, but let us hope that further improvement in
the appearance of the village will come by planned construction or remodeling
and not so by fire.
Dewitt’s
Diary, Saturday, December 30, 1972
Temperature 32, cloudy, rain
predicted.
Worked in the wood after filling
the grain bin with wheat for the chickens this morning.
Around the house playing lazy
this afternoon.
Warming up to 40 tonight. Snow mostly
gone.
Corn picking mostly at a
standstill. Too wet and not froze enough. Many ears of my corn moldy inside the
ear.
Took Tim out for coon, got one in
the east woods at Lantos. Could not get Tim to come in at 11 o’clock so left
him out. Got up at 4 and he was barking in the old Miller wood down east, so
went down there at 4:30 and shot another.
Snow gone, strong south wind and
52 at 5:30 this morning (Sunday).
