The Great Boston Fire: The Inferno That Nearly Incinerated the City

by Stephanie Schorow

Overview

For two days in November, 1872, a massive fire swept through Boston, leaving the downtown in ruins and the population traumatized. Coming barely a year after the infamous Chicago fire, Boston’s inferno turned out to be one of the most expensive fires per acre in US history. Yet today few are aware of how close Boston came to destruction. Boston author Stephanie Schorow masterfully recounts the fire’s history from the foolish decisions that precipitated it to the heroics of firefighters who fought it. Lavishly illustrated with period artwork and photographs and published just before the fire’s 150th anniversary, The Great Boston Fire captures the drama of a life-and-death battle in the heart of the city.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781493054985
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	03/15/2022
Pages:	216
Sales rank:	423,775
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 6.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Stephanie Schorow is a veteran journalist who has worked for the Boston Herald, the Associated Press, and other media. Her previous books include: Inside the Combat Zone: The Stripped Down Story of Boston’s Most Notorious Neighborhood; Drinking Boston: A History of the City and its Spirits; Boston on Fire: A History of Fires and Firefighting in Boston; and The Cocoanut Grove Fire. See www.stephanieschorow.com

Table of Contents

Prologue: "Don't Try to Magnify the Wants of Your Department" vii

Introduction: Built on Ash xiii

Chapter 1 Hubris in the Hub 1

Chapter 2 A Self-Reliant Man 11

Chapter 3 A Hot Time in the Old Town 21

Chapter 4 Black Beauty Down: The Horse Flu 30

Chapter 5 The Spark 41

Chapter 6 Out of Control 52

Chapter 7 The Fire Fiend 61

Chapter 8 Guts and Gunpowder 77

Chapter 9 The Fire That Would Not Die 93

Chapter 10 Seeing Double 105

Chapter 11 "We Are Burnt Out" 118

Chapter 12 Who Is to Blame? 134

Chapter 13 Rebuilt and Reborn 147

Chapter 14 Damrell's Last Stand 157

Chapter 15 The Long Slow Sleep of the Fire Fiend 161

Afterword 167

Notes 175

Further Reading 184

Index 187

Acknowledgments 193

About the Author 194