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Fire has been part of the Ozarks since settlement days, when buildings were intentionally burned during the Civil War. Take a trip to Rogers’ historic downtown and you’ll see stone and brick buildings built in response to a devastating fire in the early 1900s which burned the original wood structures to the ground. In April 1925 downtown Huntville was hit hard by fire for the second time in its history. Early one morning the alarm was sounded and a bucket brigade organized to combat the flames. In the end 15 buildings were destroyed at an estimated loss of $40,000. The local paper speculated that perhaps the fire was caused by the “careless handling of...matches by a drunken assemblage of bootleggers and gamblers.” “The Huntsville fire is one of the greatest calamities to hit a community... All was done in a few minutes. Men and women fought shoulder to shoulder in the fiercest heat and in great danger of the loss of life... When the demon had been conquered, they held each other in higher esteem. Many wept for joy.” 1925 Huntsville fire |
