Destruction of the Court House. 1845: An Eyewitness Account

In the early morning hours of March 24, 1845, the Cumberland County court house and Carlisle town hall burned down.¹ The next morning the Carlisle Herald & Expositor printed an "extra," which was distributed in large numbers "through the county and to a distance."

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE! County Court-House & Town Hall burned down!

 About one o'clock this morning our citizens were aroused by the cry of FIRE! On reaching the ground we found the interior of the ground floor of the Council House of the Borough, to be entirely in flames. The Fire Apparatus belonging to the town, consisting of three Engines with Hose Carriages, was kept in the lower part of this building, and so rapidly had the flames spread that it was found impossible to get out more than one of the engines, & this in a condition so damaged as to be unfit for use. The fire speedily enveloped the entire building; and rendered its destruction certain.

The citizens who rapidly reached the ground were thus left wholly without means to check the progress of the flames—and the wind blowing with great violence from the N .W the flames were instantly communicated to the Court House, and spread over the building with alarming rapidity. The scene now presented an appalling prospect-with no fire apparatus, no means of arresting the mad career of the devouring element, the full destruction of the whole Southeastern portion of the town seemed inevitable and no one could say where the destruction of property might end.

Leaving the buildings therefore to the destruction which was unavoidable, measures were taken to secure the records, books, papers, &c., in the different county offices, which were speedily removed and safely deposited in neighboring houses. It is probable that many will be lost or damaged however. By the most unceasing viligance and labor the roofs of the neighboring buildings on the South East corner of the public square were also kept from taking fire, although this at first seemed scarcely possible owing to the difficulty of getting sufficient water by means of buckets. In preventing the further spread of the fire we must not forget to say that the U.S. Artillery company at the Barracks, who were on the ground as speedily as possible, with their engine, rendered essential service.

 The fire is thought to have been the work of an incendiary-a more atrocious act of villainy never was conceived. The preservation of a large and flourishing portion of our town seems almost miraculous. The loss to the borough and county cannot prove less than $40,000.

This report was reprinted three days later, with additional details and commentary, in the regular weekly edition of the Herald & Volunteer on March 26. As evidence that the fire had been set deliberately, the paper reported that the fire engines had been so securely lashed together "that those who were first to discover and reach the fire tried in vain to rescue them from the flames!"

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