History of Gardner, Massachusetts/Fires and Injuries by Lightning
Fires,
and injuries by lightning.
1798, August 10. A barn belonging to Seth Heywood was set on fire by lightning and consumed, with the crops of hay and grain.
1798, August 24. A barn belonging to Samuel Stone was struck by lightning and burnt; it was well filled with hay and grain.
1808. In May, a dwelling-house of Joseph Wright, with all the furniture, was consumed. The fire was occasioned by a defect in the oven.
1809. In November, a house belonging to Allen Perley was burned, with the furniture; he was having it repaired at the time; the workmen had left shavings so near the fire-place, that on going out, the wind took them to the fire, thus communicating the flames to the building with such rapidity that there was no chance to save it.
1810. In the spring of the year, a house belonging to Capt. Ezekiel Howe was struck by lightning: there had been quite a shower of rain a little while before; Mr. Howe was coming towards the house when it was struck, and remarked "that the electricity had the appearance of live coals thrown from the roof." The house was not burned, but so shattered, that he built a new one; the furniture was upset, and the crockery thrown from the shelves and broken. A loaded gun standing in the house was discharged by the electricity.
1813. The card shop of Josiah Wilder, Jr. was destroyed by fire. Also, a dwelling-house belonging to Aaron Pratt.
1827. In February, a chair shop of James M. Comee was burned.
1829. A grist mill belonging to Capt. William Bickford, (where C. J. and O. A. Travers' chair shop now stands,) was burned.
1834. In June, the dwelling-house of Seth Whitney took fire upon the roof, and was destroyed. In October, a chair shop belonging to Walter Heywood was burned on the site where Asher Shattuck's house now stands.
Capt. Henry Whitney had a mill burned, and built another on the same site, which he sold to Daniel J. Goodspeed, which was afterwards burnt.
Martin Dunster had a chair shop destroyed by fire, on the site where Nichols & Baker's grist mill now stands.
1839. In March, a chair shop of Elijah Putnam was burned, on the site now occupied by L. H. Sawin.
1841, August 20. The blacksmith shop belonging to Capt. William Learned was destroyed by fire.
1846. A mill belonging to Ai Stone, in the north part of the town, (where John Cowee's mill now stands,) was burned. A small house belonging to Heman Bay was burned the same year. Daniel J. Goodspeed had a shop consumed by fire, where Greenwood & Wright's chair shop now stands.
1852. In November, the same individual had a shop burned on the site now occupied by B. F. Kendall.
1855. In March, the house that had been occupied by Miss Kneeland and Mrs. Phinney, was burned.
1857. In September, a large paint shop belonging to the South Gardner Chair Manufacturing Company, near the depot, was burned. Loss, $10,000; insured for $5,500.
Other inconsiderable fires may have occurred.