West Liberty History 1838-1938

Source: One Hundred Years of History
* Commemorating a Century of Progress in the West Liberty Community * WEST LIBERTY, IOWA
FIRE JANUARY 5th, 1884

The most disastrous fire in the city since the burning of the Hise house on Jan. 7th, 1876, occurred Saturday morning when the large frame building at the corner of Third and Spencer, occupied by T. M. Campbell and known as the Occidental House was destroyed.

The alarm was sounded at 9:30 a.m. with the thermometer standing at 28 below, while the family were at breakfast. The fire boys has the engine and the hose cart out in less time than it takes to tell it and made a quick run to the cistern at the corner of Spencer and Calhoun to find that not only was the cap to the cistern frozen but when finally opened they found the contents frozen also.

Then they went to other cisterns and finally their efforts were successful and in spite of extreme cold willing hands took the pump handles, and water soon traversed the 600 feet of hose and burst upon the fire, fully twenty minutes after the alarm. By heroic and untiring eforts much of the contents was saved as well as nearby buildings, but by 11:30 the east wall was down and all that remained of what had been for 24 years a familiar object to the community lay in charred and smoking ruins.

The engine pumpers are deserving of special mention. An hour and a half of unceasing labor at the lever was a severe strain upon them. They were stimulated and refreshed by the thoughtfulness of Mrs. N. W. Ball, Mrs. Geo. Clapper, Mrs. Z. N. King, Mrs. A. Cooley, Mrs. L. Osborn and Miss Belle Nichols who furnished them with hot coffee.

The building had been built by Henry Null in 1858, Pearson Aalger as carpenter, and was first used as a dwelling, then Shaw and Bagley's drug store, and in later years after many additions it was a convenient and popular resort for the traveling public. In 1879 it was known as the S. B. Windus House and later as the Occidental House.

Comments of the Weekly Enterprise of Jan. 22, 1848 are : Carson Adams and Curley Keim were two of the hardest workers on the scene.

"D. F. Smith and Henry Polders allowed their ears to absorb too much frost. Hillis Ady froze his ears and cheeks very badly and fear is entertained he may lose his mustache. Mrs. Geo. Sheldon suffered from nervous prostration caused by excitement and overwork. The fire boys worked until near midnight Saturday night thawing out the hose and engine. Fritz Jensen offered his services and pumped for an hour and a half without relief. John Nagle, foreman of the engine company stood faithfully by the engine until the last and carries three badly frozen finger."

T. M. Campbell died in West Liberty, March 8th, 1884 age 52 years. As landlord of the Occidental House he was widely known.

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