Worst Fire In History of Necedah Wipes Out Nearly Every Business
From the Adams County Times, Dec. 16, 1915, Page 1
Practically the entire business section of the village of Necedah Tuesday night was a mass of ruins as the reuslt of a conflagration that had its origin in Greenberg's store and that spread so rapidly that before it could be controlled more than a score of business houses had been reduced to ashes.
The fire started about 9 o'clock in the morning and telephone calls for help were sent in all directions the fire departments from Adams, Friendship, Mauston, New Lisbon, Tomah and Grand Rapids responding, special trains being pressed into service. The arrival of help undoubtedly saved the residence portion of town from destruction, but was too late to save but a few business buildings on each end of Main Street. The speed with which the fire traveled is evidenced by the fact that there was not a very strong wind, but yet the fire was practically burned out by three o'clock in the afternoon. the cause of this was that every one fo the buildings with exception of Greenberg's store, was frame and very old at that, and burned like tinder.
Aided by the ever shifting wind the flames ate their way up the only business street, which is skirted on one side of the river and on the other by high bluffs, and for a few hours the battle to check them participated all the male inhabitants, was almost without result.
Authorities would not make a definite estimate of the damage Tuesday night,
although they believed the total loss would be from $300,000 to $500,000.
The following were among the most seriously damaged in the blaze:
Post Office
Necedah Bank
George R. Bishop, meat market
T. M. Canfield, pelt dealer
Ira T. Crane, jewelry store
Joseph E. Daly drug store
E. Godfrey & Co., creamery
William Greenberg, general store
Jacob Gross, general store
Geo. A. Harriman, hardware store
Ludwig Hodik, wagon maker
Geo. A. Horton, grocery store
J. P. Killer, shoe store
Norman Lecy, leather dealer
Geo. H. Parham, physician
G. R. Sinclair, dentist
Frank Toman, tailor
J. Williams & Bros., hardware
Lute G. Williams, potato dealer
D. R. Wildermuth, photographer
E. H. Galvin, saloon
H. R. Bulger, restaurant
Walter Eaton, barber shop
Albert Stowasser, saloon