1957 Berry's Pharmacy Explosion - Villas Rica, GA
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 33° 43.908 W 084° 55.178
16S E 692735 N 3734362
Big explosion...lots of people died.
Waymark Code: WM10XDN
Location: Georgia, United States
Date Posted: 07/06/2019
Views: 1
County of disaster: Carroll County
Location of disaster: E. Montgomery St. (US-78) & S. Candler St., Villa Rica
Date: December 5, 1957
Monument text:
This monument is placed in memory of
those lives lost in the explosion in VIlla Rica
Dec. 5, 1957
Margaret Berry Kenneth Hendrix
Rob Broom Oscar Hixon
Dr. Jack Burnham Rozella Johnson
Carolyn Davis Bobby Roberts
Johnnny Dyer Ann Pope Smith
O. T. Dyer Carl Vinter
Donated by Jones - Wynn Funeral Home
"On December 5, 1957, at approximately 11:00 AM, a horrific gas explosion occurred at Berry's Pharmacy in downtown Villa Rica, Georgia. Twelve people lost their lives and twenty more were injured as a result of this tragedy. The explosion destroyed four buildings and damaged many others." _ Find-A-Grave
"Around 11:00 a.m. on December 5, 1957, a natural gas leak under Berry’s Pharmacy caused an explosion that destroyed four buildings and damaged several others in Villa Rica’s downtown. The explosion killed twelve and injured twenty. The tragedy highlighted the need for both an organized local emergency response unit and the use of odor in the natural gas supply. The civil defense unit that resulted became a model for west Georgia. Ensuing litigation placed a considerable financial burden on the city, suppressing economic development for years. In terms of injury and loss of life, the explosion remains the most catastrophic event in Carroll County history." ~ Georgia Historical Society, City of Villa Rica, and Villa Rica Downtown Development Authority, 2007