title: Historic plaque - The Paris Fire, 1916
creator: Belden, Dreanna L.
date: 2005-10-10
language: English
description: Photograph of a historic plaque in Paris, Texas. It reads: "The
 Paris Fire. 1916. Although Paris was founded in the mid-1840s, many of its
 historic structures were lost in a fire that destroyed almost half the town in
 1916. The blaze started about five o'clock on the afternoon of March 21, 1916,
 at the S. J. Long warehouse near the southwest city limits. Its cause is
 unknown, but one theory is that a spark from a switch engine ignited dry grass
 near the warehouse. Winds estimated at 50 miles per hour soon blew the fire
 out of control as it burned a funnel-shaped path to the northeast edge of
 Paris. Firemen from Bonham, Cooper, Dallas, Honey Grove, and Hugo, Okla.,
 helped the Paris Fire Department battle the flames, which were visible up to
 40 miles away. The blaze destroyed most of the central business district and
 swept through a residential area before it was controlled at about sunrise on
 March 22. Property damage from this fire was estimated at $11,000,000. The
 structures burned included the federal building and post office, Lamar County
 Courthouse and jail, City Hall, most commercial buildings, and several
 churches. Rebuilding was begun quickly as townspeople collected relief funds
 and opened their homes to the victims. A railroad and market center before the
 disaster, Paris soon regained its former prosperity. (1976)"
subject: Architecture - Monuments
subject: Architecture - Landmarks - Historic Markers
subject: Places - United States - Texas - Lamar County
subject: Landscape and Nature - Natural Disasters - Fires
coverage: United States - Texas - Lamar County - Paris
coverage: Into Modern Times, 1939-Present
coverage: 2005-10-10
coverage: north=33.661997096989005; east=-95.55709161822165;
type: Photograph
format: 1 photograph : digital, col.
format: Image
identifier: local-cont-no: dscn1499
identifier: https://texashistory.unt.edu./ark:/67531/metapth6686/
identifier: ark: ark:/67531/metapth6686