(The following article appeared in the Tuesday, July 14, 1981 edition of the Potsdam Courier & Freeman, and was printed along with accounts of the Norwood Block fire that occurred just a few days before this edition, on July 8, 1981).
Norwood Block Burned 110 Years Ago By Susan C. Lyman
Norwood Historian, Potsdam Town Historian
NORWOOD--The year 1871 was an eventful one for the 1,177 residents of the hamlet of Potsdam Junction. An unexpectedly high spring runoff of winter snows had created a "flood," there had been an unusually large number of fires and Ed. W. Foster, Supervisor of the Town of Potsdam, had urged Potsdam Junction to seek incorporation.
The most dramatic and tragic event of the year was to come in the early hours of June 11, 1871 when a fire was discovered in a store room on Main Street where workmen kept their tools. According to a clipping in a scrapbook at the Canton History Center, "the fire, although a small affair at first, spread rapidly from building to building, destroying everything in its way, until it proved to be one of the most disastrous fires of the eight different fires since October last. The property burned was situated back of the Main Street between Mechanic Street and the Whiney House lane. The buildings were all wooden structures and burned rapidly, the fire going from one to another notwithstanding the hard work and mighty efforts of the men and the fire apparatus."
Child's 1873 Directory states "some twenty buildings, comprising over thirty business places and residences were destroyed."
Completely destroyed in the conflagration were sheds and barns, two shoe shops, a meat market, restaurant, T. N. Murphy's law office and contents, two blacksmith shops, drug store, billiard saloon and livery stable. Frank Cornell who had the livery was able to save the horses and some livery property.
Tenants along this section of Main Street at the time of the fire included J. Inman, Amable (Mab) Valley, the Union Hotel, L & R Ashley, Asa Hale, D. McCarthy, E. L. Barnes, William Cassidy, Alexander Rexford, S. R. Phelps, George Clarke, A. H. Latham, M.F. Collins, druggist and workmen Ralph Amos, Robert Rutherford, both of whom lost tool chests and contents.
Mr. Turner had only recently completed repairs on his office which had resulted from a fire three weeks before. As a result, the paper reports that "Attorney T.N. Turner now has no office or library or furniture and no insurance."
An especially sad turn of events occurred when the seriously ill child of the restaurant owner, E. L. Barnes, died at about the time the fire began.
There was no organized fire department in Potsdam Junction until January 1876 when two companies were formed. However, Stephen Ducolin, a manufacturer and dealer in stoves, owned a fire engine which was used. This little engine is still owned by the Norwood Fire Department.
Reconstruction
The block-long fire ruins were rapidly cleaned up and a fine appearing brick block constructed. A picture of this block is owned by this historian and shows that merchants back in business included L & R Ashley, Inman and Adams, M.R. Collins, druggist, and Nightengale & Donahue, dealers in groceries and crockery.
A very partial list of persons conducting business on the second floor of this block during the years include Dr. George B. Hakins, dentist, who invented a dental appliance said still used in the profession; Dr. C. P. Martin, dentist; Dr. L.T. McNulty, physician; and Dr. James P. Smith who took over the space when Dr. McNulty moved to Potsdam to devote his practice to surgery; Dr. L.U. Hurlburt; Edward E. Wright, attorney; Molnar Insurance; Hogan's Barbershop, Marsay Beauty Shop and the telephone switchboard from about 1923 until the system went to dial operation in 1958.
The occupants of the first floor of the block were L & R Ashley who changed the front entrance to one which opened onto the corner of Main and Mechanic Streets and added the name "Ashley's" in metal letters set into the cement entrance; Mr. And Mrs. A.C. Healy who operated the Western Union Telegraph until about 1940 while operating a fine jewelry store, watch repair and optician department. Mrs. Healy was the "chief telephone operator," in fact the only one, in the early days of the telephone company (1902). The Norwood Light and Power Company operated their office on Main Street until they were merged, in several stages, to become the present day Niagara Mohawk.
Other businesses on the "street" but not necessarily in order of time of occupancy were the A & P, Shepard Furniture Store, Norwood Furniture, Clopman's Furniture, Bassett Drug Store, Whalen Drug Store, Norwood Pharmacy, J.P. Hardy, E. Simonds, Fleyhan's dry goods, until the proprietor returned to his native Syria; Elwood's Ladies Wear; W.B. Andrew, groceries and dry goods. Lister Warner, Grand Union, Stella's Gift Shop, Sandy's Gift Shop, Bartlett's Gift Shop, Ed's T.V., Red & White Store, Barlow T.V., Ted Malek's Kitchen Sink Antique Shop.
The July 8 (1981) fire destroyed the ladies' wear shop belonging to Elwood and Ruby Royce, the Barlow T.V. Shop and Ted Malek's Antique Shop. The second floor of the building was razed on July 10 for reasons of public safety. The apartments which had been created in recent years were completely destroyed in the blaze. The fire wall between Malek's building and the Drew Insurance Agency had been credited with creating an effective barrier and preventing the further spread of the devastating fire.
A new block was constructed Phoenix-like in the wake of the 1871 tragedy and this may again happen. Barlow's T.V. was operating from the site of the former Norwood Hardware Store late last week and Ted Malek has indicated that he intends to restore his property. And by the way, another interesting thing happened during the years following the 1871 fire, the residents of "Potsdam Junction," by popular vote, changed the name of their hometown to "Norwood."
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