Charlene Cole
Sandy Creek/Lacona Historian
Historian's Corner
October 17, 2014
Photo: This photo “Lacona’s Brick Business Block” stood opposite the Central Hotel from about 1880 until June of 1966, when because of its weakened condition the village board had it razed and the site paved as a parking lot. It was originally built to replace the Tifft Block, which burned on April 14, 1879.
The village of Lacona lost the Tifft Block in the spring of 1880 which stood on the ground later occupied by the Odd Fellows; September 1881 the freight house and residences of George Wimple, W. J. Stevens, A. N. Harding, Frank Baker and the big wood pile owned by the railroad company burned. The Fuller Drug Store and the Brown Block, the main business section of Lacona, were burned March 1885; the Hunt Block, February 18, 1896; Rice’s Brewery in 1897; the store of Brainard Tifft and Luther Tilton on July 4, 1885.
On November 18, 1884, the Salisbury Hotel, ice house and barn burned and the harness shop to the north owned by H. A. Hall was badly burned.
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December 1884 the business places on the west side of Main Street from the Lake Street intersection to the creek burned. This section included the Seeley block, the building next door housing a millinery shop, the House block and the Salisbury Grist Mill. Feed from the mill was carried across the creek in boats to save it from the flames.
In 1885 both the villages, Sandy Creek and Lacona organized volunteer fire companies. April 27, 1890, fire destroyed a three story brick building on the corner of Lake Street and South Main Street then, swept south to the north wall of the Ed Williams block where it was stopped by the courageous work of the Lacona firemen. The business places destroyed were the Bulkley Opera House on the third floor of the building on the corner, the Smith and Potter Insurance office on the second floor, the Dr. Newton Cook drug store and the Sandy Creek Post Office. Miss Emma Johnson, postmistress, on the first floor and to the south a two-story building housing the James Bishop hotel.
This was the first time the fire companies were put to the test. The Sandy Creek firemen took their hose up a ladder on the north side of the opera house and the Lacona firemen took up a position on top of the Ed Williams block where they worked all through the fire. The Lacona firemen were able to keep the hotel so water soaked that it burned very slowly and the fire was finally stopped at the north wall of the Ed Williams store which set against the hotel wall. Writing of the fire in his scrapbook Mr. Wart commented, “the Lacona and Sandy Creek firemen with their two new hand fire engines rendered valuable service in saving near-by property.” The pump was operated like a teeter-board, the engine being on a platform specially built for it behind the bakery block at the edge of the creek. |
Charlene Cole
Sandy Creek/Lacona Historian
1992 Harwood Drive
Sandy Creek, NY 13145
315-387-5456 x7
office hours: Friday 9am to 2pm
www.sandycreeknyhistory.com |
