Westminster Firehouse

Postcard

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Historical Society of Carroll County, Maryland

Name/Title

Westminster Firehouse

Entry/Object ID

1957.043.005

Description

Postcard. Westminster Firehouse, Library, Westminster, April 6, 1906. B/W photo the interior of the Library after the fire in April 1906. The room is dirty. There is a light fixture hung from center of the ceiling. The far wall is covered in bookshelves that are filled with books. Above the shelves there are framed pictures on the wall. There is a cabinet in the center of the bookshelves with the glass front covered with newspaper. There are two chairs in front of the cabinet and a table covered in books. There is another smaller table to the right with a chair next to it. There are two windows along the right wall with a writing desk between them. On front in white "Library"; in blue ink "April 6 - 06". On back in black ink "Firemans Building April 6 - 1906 Mrs. Harvey Lockard donor". 3.5" x 5.5"

Acquisition

Accession

1957.043

Source or Donor

Lockard,

Acquisition Method

Gift

General Notes

Note

Completed in 1896, the building sat at 66 E. Main Steet. It continued to serve the Westminster Fire Engine & Hose Co. #1 until 1998. It still stands today. Henry H. Harbaugh’s business, the Palace Livery Stable, and home were next door to the firehouse. A fire of unknown origin erupted there just before 3:00 a.m. on April 6, 1906. 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.