Jacksonville's 1901 Fire
N 30° 19.783 W 081° 39.572
17R E 436600 N 3355505
Quick Description: This marker about the Great Fire of 1901 is located in Hemming Plaza in downtown Jacksonville, Florida, USA.
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 12/1/2007 5:03:26 PM
Waymark Code: WM2PHD
Views: 42
Long Description:
The Great Fire of 1901 was one of the worst disasters in Florida
history and the largest urban fire in the Southeast. It was similar
in scale and destruction to the 1871 Great Chicago Fire.
Origin
Around noon of Friday, May 3, 1901, a spark from a kitchen fire
during the lunch hour at a mattress factory set mattresses filled
with Spanish moss on fire at the factory, located in an area now
known as LaVilla. The fire was soon discovered and it was thought
they could put it out with only a few buckets of water.
Consequently an alarm was not turned on until it had gone beyond
their control.
Aftermath
The fire swept through 146 city blocks, destroyed over 2,368
buildings, and left almost 10,000 people homeless all in the course
of eight hours. It is said the glow from the flames could be seen
in Savannah, Georgia; smoke plumes in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Florida Governor William S. Jennings declared a state of martial
law in Jacksonville and dispatched several state militia units to
help. Reconstruction started immediately, and the city was returned
to civil authority on May 17. Despite the widespread damage, only
seven deaths were reported.
Marker Text
"On May 3, 1901 at 12:30 p.m., a fire began at the Cleaveland
Fibre Factory, ten blocks northwest of this site. Chimney embers
ignited sun-dried moss to be used as mattress stuffing. Fueled by
wind and dry weather, the fire roared east destroying most
structures in its path. By 3:30 p.m., the fire reached this site,
then called Hemming Park. The park and its renowned live oaks were
devoured by the flames and only the Confederate Monument survived,
its base glowing red from heat. The fire continued an eastward
march to Hogan?s Creek, where a citizens'? bucket brigade stayed
the flames. Then, turning south, the inferno roared to Bay Street?s
riverfront docks. Extreme heat caused a waterspout in the river
where rescue boats trolled for survivors. The fire was so intense,
black smoke clouds could be seen as far away as South Carolina. As
flames moved west on Bay Street, the firefighters? gallant stand
and dying winds brought the fire under control by 8:30 p.m. In just
eight hours, nearly 10,000 people were homeless, 2,368 buildings
were lost, 146 city blocks were destroyed, but miraculously only
seven people perished. Jacksonville'?s 1901 Fire remains the most
destructive burning of a Southern city in U.S. history."