Note
Henry H. Harbaugh’s business—the Palace Livery Stable—and home were next door to the Westminster firehouse on East Main Street. A fire of unknown origin erupted there on April 6, 1906. The blaze was reported just before 3:00 a.m. by a pedestrian on Green Street. The fire began at the back of the building and swept through the frame structure so rapidly that Harbaugh, his wife, and their three sons barely escaped, fleeing the building barefoot and in their nightclothes. Harbaugh’s losses amounted to over $18,000 and included 45 vehicles, harness, household goods and furniture, clothing, and 22 horses.
The intense heat of the fire ignited the window frames of the firehouse and eventually spread to the interior of that building. The firehouse was saved but suffered extensive damage to the department’s meeting room, banquet room, and library. Also damaged were the city council chamber and clerk’s office that were located in the building. Burning embers carried on the wind to the roofs of nearby houses and residents used hoses and buckets to extinguish them and keep the fire from spreading.
The firehouse was repaired and Harbaugh rebuilt, this time a fireproof building.