1900 Hopkins & Allen Fire
The Hopkins & Allen Gun Factory was the Norwich’s largest employer in early 1900. During the Civil War, Norwich provided more arms for the Union forces than any other city. As the nation’s largest armory, Hopkins & Allen was one of many gun factories in Norwich.
The photo shows how the building appeared in 1894.
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It was a cold Sunday evening on February 4, 1900 when the four-story brick building on this site caught fire. At 6:00 am it was dark, and the streets were lighted by gas lamps. The fire was discovered by the night watchman, Joe Skelly. By the time the fire department arrived, it was too late to save the building and Hopkins & Allen was destroyed in the biggest fire in the history of Norwich. It imposed a special hardship, for all of the gunsmiths’ whose tools were lost in the flames. Without those tools, the entire work force was unemployed.
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The article, shown on the left, is a copy of the newspaper article published in the Norwich Bulletin on the day after the fire. It provides a detailed account of the fire and its serious consequences.
The exact cause of the fire was unknown, but the article states:
“The noise of exploding cartridges of which there were some 8,000 rounds stored in the north end of the main building occasioned [a.k.a. provided] some alarm and the firemen kept a safe distance. The cracking of the cartridges continued for more than an hour and was heard in all parts of the town. Luckily no one was hit by flying ball.”
The article later states:
“The ruins continued to blaze all day Sunday [02/04/1900] and in the buildings on Willow Street the flames were not entirely extinguished until late in the afternoon.”
The article also notes: “The actual loss in total is hard to estimate, but it will exceed $400,000 [$15 million in 2025 $]. The company had insurance of over $150,000 [$5 million in 2025 $] on their building and contents but the actual loss will probably be double that sum.”
A new 80,000 square foot Hopkins & Allen was built on the same site and rededicated in March of 1901. The 220 foot long, 60 foot wide, four-story building cost approximately $55,000. [$2 million in 1025 $]
Hopkins & Allen went on to produce 40,000 firearms a year. During the early years of World War I the company was awarded a contract to build Mauser rifles for the Belgian Army. But, the contract fell apart after Germany invaded Belgium. Although Hopkins & Allen continued to manufacture firearms, it never financially recovered and went bankrupt in 1916.
The building later became a manufacturing facility for the J.B. Martin Company which produced the finest velvet in the world. This historic building still stands today, as it did and where it was on the day of the fire, facing Franklin, Willow and Chestnut Streets.
Acknowledgements
“A Municipal Calamity – Largest Fire in the City’s History,” (02/05/1900), Norwich Bulletin
“Souvenir Edition of the Norwich Evening Record,” 1894, ppg 60-61
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “1900 Hopkins” in the SEARCH box.
1909 Shannon building fire
In the 1880s, there was a big, bold Irishman known as “Big Jim” Shannon, who was powerful and influential in business, politics and real estate. Shannon made his money in the liquor business. He sold beer wholesale and had three taverns scattered around town.
At the turn of the 20th century, the Irish were making their presence known, and Shannon was one of many Irish leaders. His business was so successful that he began investing in real estate.
In 1892 he built a dual-use commercial / apartment building and named it the Shannon Building. The image shows how the building appeared in 1894.
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On February 9, 1909 the fire broke out at 2 in the morning in the Shannon Building. There were apartments on the upper floors and after the flames raced up the staircases, all exits were blocked. Tenants stood at the upper windows screaming to be rescued.
One woman threatened to jump, but was persuaded not to do so. Eventually, everyone was saved when the fire department arrived. By 4 am, the walls of the majestic Shannon Building began to topple. The flames reached hundreds of feet into the air. It seemed as if the entire population of Norwich gathered to watch.
The guests at The Wauregan watched from their hotel windows until the heat became so intense firemen turned their hoses on it to cool the building and keep it from also catching fire. After the fire, the whole face of downtown Norwich changed as businesses re-established themselves in new locations. The Shannon Building was rebuilt a year later, and designated as a “fireproof building.”
The Reid & Hughes Company sign can be seen the photo.
Their store faced a major challenge in the aftermath of the Shannon building fire. The Shannon building was adjacent to both Reid & Hughes and Banker’s Row. The Reid & Hughes annex occupied the old post office in the Shannon building. All goods in the annex were destroyed, with extensive damage to the stock in the main building.
After cleanup and insurance settlement, the company reopened its doors. Not deterred by the fire, Reid & Hughes signed a new lease in the new, fireproof Shannon building in 1910.
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Reid & Hughes Department Store
For 116 years, Reid & Hughes catered to the needs of local residents. The last survivor of the downtown department stores in Norwich, the canny founders, Scotsman Adam Reid and Englishman George F. Hughes, and their successors found just the right combination of business acumen, advertising, adaptation of new technology, and community spirit, to flourish.
In the early 1800s, dry goods stores carried cloth, sewing needles, thread, and some ready-made clothing, as well as household linens. Primarily selling textile products and related goods, dry goods merchants were found in every sizeable community. By the mid-1800s, in larger American cities such as New York and Philadelphia, a new retail store, the department store, sprang up. Reid & Hughes, like many other department stores, evolved from a dry goods store in the 1880s and 1890s.
The text of this article is an extract from Dale Plummer’s “Reid & Hughes: A Norwich Landmark.” A full copy of the original article is shown on the left.
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Acknowledgements
“The Faith Jennings Collection,” (1997), page 177, by Bill Stanley
“Souvenir Edition of the Norwich Evening Record,” (1894), page 52
“Once Upon A Time: Shannon Building Testament to Man’s Determination,” (11/16/2008), by Bill Stanley
“Reid & Hughes: A Norwich Landmark,” (02/28/2019), by Dale Plummer
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Shannon Building” in the SEARCH box.
1912 Central Wharf fire
The Edward Chappell & Company, formed in 1840, supplied coal and lumber to all of Eastern Connecticut. It’s coal and lumber yards were located at the southern tip of Hollyhock Island, present-day site of the Marina At American Wharf. The photo above is a view of the company from the West Side of Norwich, looking toward downtown.
The company’s large derrick (shown above) that stood like the Eiffel Tower, was a symbol of Norwich. It wasn’t as pretty or as tall as the Eiffel Tower, but it was much noisier. Huge coal barges would come up the coast and pass up the Thames River. Those barges would be unloaded night and day until they were empty, and the racket the steam powered derrick made could be heard all over town. On hot summer nights, when the windows would be open (for there was no air conditioning), folks in Greeneville could hear the chug-chug of the coal derrick.
The photo on the left was taken 18 years before the fire. It clearly illustrates the vibrant trade activity on the Central Wharf. The Edward Chappell & Company had coal and lumber yards that covered more than eight acres. The company’s 50 employees utilized four large brick buildings, several wooden sheds, and their coal pockets had a combined capacity of more than 17,000 tons.
The photo also shows how horses were used to transport coal and lumber to both local families and commercial endeavors.
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On August 29, 1912 an horrific fire destroyed almost all the business enterprises on Central Wharf. One man and one horse died in the flames. Norwich’s Fire Chief, Howard L. Stanton, estimated the damage at $171,000 ($5.5 million in 2025 dollars). It was believed the fire was started by vagrants who were accustomed to sleeping in the sheds.
The conflagration was spectacular in the extreme. It burned lumber sending up flames to a height of a hundred fee, while vast showers of sparks rose up and were carried by a strong breeze from the wharf to the heart of the city. Fortunately, the wind changed course, about an hour after the fire began, and the dangerous sparks were carried southward to the river.
The August 29, 1912 Norwich Bulletin newspaper article, shown on the left, provides a vivid, detailed account of the fire and its consequences on the people of Southeast Connecticut.
It also tells of the one poor soul who died in the inferno and how several horses were saved by jumping off the wharf into the river.
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The three photos below show buildings on the wharf burning, the firefighters on duty at the fire, and several work horses employed at Edward Chappell & Company.
Acknowledgements
“Central Wharf Swept By Disastrous Fire,” (08/29/1912), page 5, Norwich Bulletin
“Central Wharf Fire”, by “The Faith Jennings Collection,” (1997), page 185
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Central Wharf Fire” in the SEARCH box.