$85,000 Monona Fire - 1921

HOWARD, FOX, LUBBERS, ENGLEHART, BARNHARDT, IRWIN, STOEGER

Posted By: Reid R. Johnson (email)
Date: 5/18/2021 at 21:26:33

$85,000 Fire At Monona Thursday Night.

The most disastrous fire in Monona's history threatened for a time Thursday night to wipe out the entire business district of the town. Only heroic efforts of the firefighters of Monona and Luana, aided by many local volunteers, prevented the wiping out of the business section. The losses in the fire follow:

Frank Howard, general store, $45,000.
Harry Fox, drug store, $12,000.
Carl Lubbers, restaurant, $10,000.
Englehart & Barnhardt, machine shop, $8,000.
Irwin Sisters, building occupied by Englehart & Barnhardt, $7,000.
Joe Stoeger, household effects in flat over Lubbers' restaurant, $2,500.

In addition to the loses sustained by these persons, losses running into many hundreds of dollars resulted for owners of neighboring properties that were scorched by fire. Many plate glass windows in the business section were ruined. The Monona Hotel was damaged, and will have to spend several hundred dollars to renew windows, paint, etc.

The origin of the fire is a mystery. It is believed to have started in the drug store, but whether upstairs or in the basement is unknown. The flames spread with remarkable rapidity and quickly enveloped all buildings in the block. The Luana fire department responded to calls for help and joined the home fire department in preventing the spread of the fire to other squares.

Elkader Register, Thur., 17 Mar. 1921.