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Background:
The newly built and refurbished Warriner Tavern Boarding
House, on the site of the present Rich Hall, was reduced to ashes by a
fire on January 4, 1856. The cause is said to be a woodpile stacked to
close to a student’s burning Franklin stove. Townspeople opened their
doors to students while the new Boarding House was being constructed,
In August, 1857, the new Academy Boarding House was
completed. The new brick Boarding House, built on the sight of the
original building, was 3 stories high, 240 by 38 feet, with a dining
hall and offices. It accommodated 200 students and faculty.
On September 29 the new Boarding House burned completely
to the ground. Records show that an arsonist was suspected, as wood
shavings had been arranged in the basement and all fire-fighting
equipment was destroyed by cutting the water pipes. Once again
firefighters came from the city of Springfield by train, but too late.
The present Rich Hall was completed in 1861.
Here is an account of the
fire of 1857, transcribed from a student diary:
Tuesday, September 29:
“An important day in the history of Wilbraham. The day was
fine, a little cool. My recitations good. Our Greek class received and
addition, William Newell. I translated my Greek for the following day
before noon. At about seven o'clock in the evening I sat down for the
translating of Virgil and at about twenty minutes before eight the cry
of fire reached our ears. I at first thought it was all a game, but
soon the cry rang "nearer, clearer, deadlier than before " and Oscar
(Tobey) and I upon looking out saw a broad sheet of flame coming from
the first cellar window north of the main portion of the building. We
rushed down and the whole of the cellar in that part seemed a lurid
flame. There was a large pile of pine shavings in this place and
opposite, on the west side, a pile of hard coal which had just been
drawn in, about seventy tons. The shavings were all afire. The pile was
as large as a common hay-stack. Oscar and I returned to our room and
commenced preserving our things. But first Oscar ran down to Dr.
Glover's for pails. I seized my big lexicon (Greek) and my Greek books
in general. I then sprang for my best clothes, seized my black coat and
pants. Oscar opened his trunk and swept in nearly all of our clothing
placed in the clothes room and his big lexicon. Webster's Unabridged. I
then helped him bring down his trunk and he placed it just in front of
the boarding-house near the sidewalk. We went back and I chanced to
think of our guns in the clothes room. We took them and my trunk. I
carried my trunk, or rather dragged it down myself and placed it
together with some of my books, and gun and clothes upon the campus.
oscar went with the line carrying water from the Rubicon and I
continued entering and carrying out things. As I went up the stairs I
expected to be knocked down by some of the trunks being hustled
downstairs. All was confusion. The smoke was rolling up and had
completely filled the north wing. Mr. Alling offered to assist me and
carried out one of the drawers in my room containing some few
valuables. I seized some books and followed. I entered again and this
was sufficient to satisfy me, I had to keep my handkerchief to my
mouth, I entered my room and the smoke was so thick that I could
scarcely see two feet from my lamp. I began to stagger and went to my
window to get a fresh breath of air but instead I took a full draught
of smoke. I could stand it no longer, but seizing about all the books
remaining among which was the Philo records and library book, I started
down and made out to reach the open air.
All this time the fire had not broken through the lower
floor, as they kept it so wet. I then entered the water line and passed
pails of water for an hour or more. Mr. Brewer was sent to Springfield
to call out a fire engine. After helping in the water line a while I
found Oscar and we found our trunks and placed them together and put in
some of our books and clothes and the guns.
At about ten o'clock the fire company arrived but the
building had all fallen except a little toward Mr. Pickering's, so that
it was of no avail. I assisted in stripping Mr. Pickering's house of
its furniture and handed water from a cistern for a long time to keep
the roof wet. My feet were wet and I felt fairly tired out. Oscar and I
went down to Mr. Mowry's to find a new boarding place but he refused to
take anyone so soon. We learned of Mr. Braman that we could go to Mrs.
Whitney's. We came up, then brought our trunks and stopped overnight.
It was one a.m. and I felt as though sleep would not be bad. Oscar lost
more than I did, but I lost considerable. The rooms filled so quickly
with smoke that it stopped all entrance."
| List of article I lost |
Probable worth |
| Latin Grammar |
.67 |
| Clothes Broom |
.12 |
| Tooth Brush |
.12 |
| Silver Pencil |
1.00 |
| Bible |
.50 |
| Pollock's course of time (not lost) |
.67 |
| Algebra |
.42 |
| Water Glass |
.03 |
| Boot Brush (not missing) |
.33 |
| Fluid Can |
.15 |
| Lamp |
.33 |
| Two Necklaces |
.43 |
| Towel |
.10 |
| Rubbers |
.75 |
| Umbrella |
.67 |
| Physiology |
.33 |
| Wells' Grammar |
.25 |
| Father's Violin |
Invaluable |
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