January 17, 1941 - Another Historic Building Destroyed By Fire

On May 18, 1997, I had the pleasure of attending the Fairfax Historical Society Meeting in the Fairfax Historical Building on Main Street at 7 p.m.. As a relative newcomer to the town (I've only lived here for the past 44 years), I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Joyce Bellows McCuin, Nellie Broe, Win & Charlotte McNall, Louise Bellows, Albert Rich and Larry Parsons recount the events that occurred the night that Bellows Free Academy burned on Friday night, January 17, 1941.

Memories of those present at the meeting:

The center of activity that night was a basketball game at the Town Hall (The Old Grange Hall and presently Wold's Book Store located at 1155 Main Street) in Main Hill between Milton & Fairfax. The game was interrupted by someone making the announcement that BFA was on fire. At that point the crowd quickly moved to Bellows Free Academy to find it was completely engulfed in flames. To the best of their recollection, the fire only lasted a couple of hours except for the smoldering remains. Except for a bucket brigade and a small hand pump, the official fire department for the town was Milton. Someone called them and they responded, however, not to Bellows Free Academy in Fairfax, but to Bellows Free Academy in St. Albans where they went through the building, but found no fire. Apparently, whoever reported the fire only said, BFA is on fire". According to the Fairfax History Book, 1763 to 1976, BFA of 1903 "housed grades one through twelve. It was a large and commodious, lighted thoroughly by electricity, supplied with a telephone system, with a master clock and synchronizing clocks, heated with steam with a modern and hygienic system of ventilation of the time. The second floor (members at the meeting stated that the Assembly Hall was on the third floor) contained a large Assembly Hall where Chapel exercises occurred each morning and where music recitals, debates, public speaking, receptions, etc. were held." Individuals present stated there were two sets of stairs, one at each end of the building. One was used by the boys and the other used by the girls. The doors were not kept closed and the floors in those days were wood and oiled which they felt was the reason the building burned so fast. The fire started with a loud explosion which some individuals at the time claimed they heard in St. Albans, although those present at the game stated that they heard no explosion. When asked what they thought was the cause of the fire, several theories were given. One that the boiler exploded, another was an explosion from the coal gas and another that this was during the second World War and anthracite bombs placed in coal cars by German Saboteurs at the point of distribution could have been in the coal delivered shortly before the fire. The question was asked by one of the younger members of the Historical Society about a cafeteria and hot lunch program. This gave rise to quite a chuckle by the former students of that era. They stated that there was an oil stove in the basement used for making soup which could be bought for 3 cents a bowl, however, many of the students could not afford this. The majority brought their lunch. Each individual had a particular interest when they went to view the fire, the first being, "Is my classroom still there?". Larry Parsons, much to his disappointment, found his classroom had not burned yet, however, he knew his books were in there because he certainly had not brought any home. Another individual lost her skates in the fire. The town acted quickly and temporary classrooms were set up in the local churches and private homes. Books and desks were donated by neighboring towns. Even though books for the same classes were not necessarily the same edition and somewhat dog eared, they made do and the high school class graduated as planned that year with their classroom being in the Baptist Church. One of their first notifications after the fire was that their trip to NewYork City was off as their class funds had burned in the fire. You will notice in the old part of BFA today that it looks like the bricks are old bricks. The truth of the matter is they are. Most of the old bricks were used in the new BFA built in 1941-1942. Since the invested funds of the original bequest had been invested in a RailroadCompany and thought to be nearly worthless, they had been sold. Albert Rich remembered that with the onset of the War, defense contracts requiring transportation by the railroad raised the price of the stock they had sold tremendously, and had we held on to this, we would have been in great shape. Many individuals made private contributions to get the new building under way which was dedicated early in 1942. In the course of the discussion, a number of members reminisced about their class trip, however, due to the content of the discussion, it is felt that this part of the meeting go unrecorded. The former students also mentioned that hours for school in the early days was 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with an hour for lunch. The general consensus of their impression of the New Building in 1942 was "Awesome". It appeared so much bigger than the old one. Of particular remembrance was the new Gym. Having played their games in the Old Grange Hall where there were no lookers, shower facilities or seating room, this was really something for them.They also reminisced about their old proms and the fun they had decorating for it. Bellows Free Academy continues to be an important way of life for the citizens of Fairfax and several surrounding communities.

As I stated earlier, I am not a native of Fairfax, however, my three daughters graduated from Bellows Free Academy, my wife Maryann Hoben Raymond graduated in 1958 and my Mother in law, Katherine Rooney Hoben in 1930. We are very fortunate to have the fine school we have today. There are few towns, if any, that have provided the fine educational opportunities provided by the Town of Fairfax. The housing of all twelve grades in one building, along with the barge system (now known as school buses) to transport not only grade school, but high school students as well has given our Fairfax youths since 1905 an experience and memories they wil lnever forget, thanks to the bequest of Hiram Bellows and the spirit of the Town of Fairfax.