The Hastings Banner — Thursday, February 15, 2024 — Page 7Fires were destroyers of old downtowns
Esther Walton
Banner Aug. 30, 1990
Small towns in the United States tradition-
ally were built of wood, which was the most
available and easiest material to work with.
Hastings was no exception.
The first stores in the 1840s, to line State
Street, were small one- and two-story wood
structures. Fires cleared the way to build the
more substantial brick or masonry buildings.
Occasionally, old buildings were moved or
torn down to be replaced by new ones. The
advantage of this was that the store owner did
not lose his inventory.
But fires did not strike at anyone’s conve-
nience. They happened, and when they did,
they changed the face of the downtown.
The first “big” fire to hit Hastings was in
1867 and the account was given by M.L.
Cook in the Sept. 26, 1940, Banner. The fire
burned the south side of State Street between
Jefferson and Church streets.
M.L. Cook, in his article, gave the names
of the businesses in 1940 that occupied the
stores.
This writer will add the addresses for fur-
ther identification, as the businesses have all
changed in the last 50 years.
“In 1867,” started Cook, “the writer cannot
find the exact date, there occurred what was
known for several years as ‘the big dire in
Hastings village.’ A more extensive fire
destroyed the north side of the town in 1886
and in the 1886 fire holds the title of the
‘worst one.’”
In 1867, “There were no railroad or tele-
graph lines here, so it was impossible to
summon aid from Grand Rapids or else-
where. The highways were in such terrible
conditions (just little more than dirt trails),
that it would have been quite impossible for
any outside fire department to have reached
Hastings, had they attempted to do so. The
actual time in 1867 to travel from Hastings to
Grand Rapids by highway was four hours,
and that was only one way.
“It is my recollection,” continued Cook,
“that at the time of the fire, the three-story
brick building of which now is occupied by
the A & P (grocery) store and Kroger store
(100-104 W. State Street) had been complet-
ed a little before this fire by Messrs. Barlow
and Goodyear, Hastings leading merchants at
that time.”
“On the corner where the Banner office
now stands (152 W. State) was a two-story
frame building, the upper part of which was
occupied by the Hastings Pioneer , a Demo-
cratic paper published here at that time (also
the first newspaper published in Hastings).
Downstairs, on the first floor, was a grocery
and feed store owned by Joseph Cole and
Son. From the Banner office corner (east) to
the new brick block was a row of frame one-
and two-story buildings.
“Where the Thayer Jewelry store now
stands (118 W. State) was a small one-story
frame building, which was not attached to the
frame structures on either side of it. It was for
many years occupied by John Bessmer as a
barber shop, later as a jewelry store. Beyond
that was a two-story double store, one occu-
pied by R.J. Grant with a stock of dry goods
and clothing, the owner by James P. Roberts
with a drug stock.
“Hastings’s only equipment for fighting
fires at that time was the old hand-pumper
fire engine,” recalled Cook. “The hand-pump-
er was a large wooden barrel-like container
laid sidewise with sidebars that were lifted up
and down by the men. The pumping of these
bars would create a vacuum in the barrel pull-
ing water from a cistern into the container
and out a short hose onto the fire or into the
bucket carried by the firemen, hence, the
name hand-pumper.
“The whole pumper was attached on a
wheeled frame, and hung around the frame
were pails and a hose. The hand-pumper was
completed with a front yoke and bar. When
the word ‘fire’ was shouted, men would run
to the place where it was stored and pull the
hand pumper to the site of the fire.
“To provide water,” continued Cook, “a
cistern had been built in the middle of State
Street, about in front of the Larsen Dry Good
Store (134 W. State). Into this water from the
roads of buildings on each side of the street
was conducted, so the cistern was usually
full. There were also cisterns (in the) back of
the stores.
“The (1867) fire started in the second story
of the Joseph Cole building on the Banner
corner. Fortunately, there was no wind to fan
the flames or the entire business district
would have been doomed, for nearly every
store building was built of pine lumber.
“Whoever had charge of the fighting thatfire used good judgement. He or they realized
that all the old frame buildings, from the Ban-
ner office corner to the little Bessmer one-sto-
ry building, were connected together, and that
the fire had a good start. With the equipment
the town (had) then, it would be impossible to
stop this fire at any point west of the small
Bessmer building.
“Efforts were made to keep the flames
from getting beyond control by divesting
some water to the blaze. The little Bessmer
building, which was not connected with the
frame structures on either side, was covered
with old carpets, on the roof and west side,
and these were kept soaked with water. The
firemen gave their attention to the Grant and
Roberts stores just east of it, using all the
water they could, hoping to end the fire at the
Bessmer store. Fortunately, because there
was no wind, their good work resulted in
stopping the fire at the one-story Bessmer
building.
“The citizens worked heroically at the old
hand engine. Lines of firefighters formed
bucket brigades, passing water down the lines
by hand and throwing it onto the Bessmer
building.
“There was no fire or hose company here
at that time. Firefighting was a volunteer
proposition. There were a few hundred feet of
hose on the old hand pumper.
“The loss was kept at a minimum figure by
the good work of volunteers, under the direc-
tion of leaders who used excellent judgement.
Most of the merchandise in the stores was
saved.
“What at first looked like a great calamity
soon became a blessing. It wasn’t long before
a solid row of new brick buildings from the
Banner office corner (east) to the Bessmer
building was constructed, which housed the
business places better than ever, and greatly
improved our principal street.
“The Roberts store was sold to the late
William H. Goodyear, who operated a drug
store there for several years. Later, he built a
brick store there.
“The Grant store became a meat market,
operated first by John Kurtz, later by Bess-
mer Bros. The Grant half of the farm double
store and the little Bessmer building were
later replaced when Herman Bessmer
acquired the former and Louis Bessmer
became the owner of his father’s old store.The two built the stores now occupied by the
Thayer Jewelry establishment and Cut Rate
Shoe store.
“The next largest fire of that period that I
remember,” said Cook, “was the burning of
the old two-story four-room frame school
building. It stood about where the Central
Auditorium is now. This burned one night in
1870-71. It was replaced by a three-story
brick school building in 1872, which was torn
down when the present Central School struc-
ture was started.”
According to the centennial history of the
“City of Hastings 1971-1971,” other signifi-
cant fires through the years have been:- Nov. 25, 1883, the burning of the Banner
office, a total loss. - Aug. 12, 1886, Newton’s Planning Mill
and A.G. Spaulding, two major manufactur-
ing concerns, plus several blocks of hotel and
retail stores situated along the north side of E.
State Street, both sides of Michigan Avenue. - Oct. 8 and Oct. 20, 1891, Wool Boot
Factory located on the east side of Boltwood
just south of Court Street. - Jan. 13, 1893, Goodyear block at 110 W.
State Street. - In 1909, St. Rose Catholic Church, locat-
ed on S. Jefferson, where the present church
now sits. - Winter of 1933-34, Hastings City Bank
(now Highpoint Community Bank), then at
the southeast corner of State and Jefferson
streets. - Dec. 16, 1963, Demott’s Machine Shop,
further research did not verify date or location. - Feb. 5, 1963, Consumer Power building
on the northeast corner of Boltwood and Cen-
ter streets. - Feb. 2, 1965, Wayne Shoe Store, 134 W.
State Street.
The last downtown fire (1990) occurred
Jan. 26, 1985, at Leary Sports Shop at 123 E.
State Street.
Thursday, Feb. 15 – Novel Ideas Book
Club discusses “The Other Einstein,” 1 p.m.;
Movie Memories & Milestones watches a
1957 film starring Pat Boone and Shirley
Jones, 5 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 16 – Friday Story Time, 10:
a.m.
Saturday, Feb. 17 – Warhammer and Dun-
geons & Dragons, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Monday, Feb. 19 – Crafting Passions, 10a.m.; Lego Club, 4-5 p.m.; Lift Every Voice:
Life Stories Celebrate all Barry County Voic-
es, 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 20 – Baby Cafe, 10 a.m.;
mahjong, 2 p.m.; chess, 5 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 21 – Itsy Bitsy Book Club,
10:30 a.m.; Family Science Night, 6 p.m.
More information about these and other
events is available by calling the library, 269-
945-4263.Ear infection origins
How do people get ear infections?
Lydia, 9, Ill.Dear Lydia,
Ear infections aren’t fun. They can make
your ears hot, itchy or painful. They can
cause lots of pressure or make it harder to
hear. Sometimes fluid leaks out of your ear.
I asked my friend Bevan Briggs why that
happens. He’s a nurse practitioner and pro-
fessor at Washington State University.
He told me people usually get outer ear or
middle ear infections.
Your outer ear includes the flappy part
attached to your head–called the auricle or
pinna. It also includes the ear canal. That’s
the tunnel that goes into your head. At the
end of the ear canal, there’s a thin, flexible
barrier of tissue called the eardrum. That’s
the boundary between your outer ear and
your middle ear.
“Lots of things can cause an outer ear
infection, but it happens a lot when kids go
swimming,” Briggs said. “If you’ve ever
felt stuff moving around in your ear afterswimming, that’s because you have water in
your ear touching your eardrum.”
You can tilt your head and gently jiggle
your ear until the water falls out. Some peo-
ple use special ear drops to help dry up the
water. If the water stays in your ear, it could
make your ear canal the perfect place for
bacteria to grow.
Sometimes the bacteria enter your ear
with the water–especially if you’re swim-
ming in a river or lake. But there’s always
lots of bacteria on your skin and inside
your body. So, it could just be your normal
bacteria getting out of control. That’s an
infection.
If that happens, your immune system will
send out fighter cells called white blood
cells to kill or gobble up the bacteria. Those
cells travel in your blood, so the tiny blood
vessels near your ear will become bigger
and leaky to let the bacteria-munching cells
get where they need to go. That’s called
inflammation. It will make the lining of
your ear become red and swollen. It’ll prob-
ably hurt if you wiggle your ear.That’s why your nurse practitioner or
doctor might give you antibiotic ear drops.
They help kill the bacteria and stop the
infection.
The other common ear infection happens
in your middle ear. That’s the space between
your eardrum and your inner ear. It has a
drainage tube–called a Eustachian tube–that
connects your middle ear to your throat.
“Fluid naturally circulates in the middle
ear to keep it clean,” Briggs said. “It drains
out of that Eustachian tube. So, if the tube
closes, fluid can build up in the middle ear.
That fluid can become infected with bacte-
ria, and then inflammation happens. As the
white blood cells do their job, you can wind
up with this soup of dead white blood cells,
bacteria and mucousy fluid–called pus–
behind the eardrum.”
But why would your Eustachian tube
close? It can happen because of a cold or
allergies. It also happens a lot in toddlers,
and scientists aren’t sure why. Maybe the
size or position of their Eustachian tubes
causes a problem until their ears grow.
That’s why some kids need teeny tiny,
plastic or metal tubes gently placed in their
eardrums. The tube lets trapped fluid and
pus drain out of the middle ear. That means
fewer painful ear infections while the ears
grow.
If you ever feel ear pain or other symp-
toms of an ear infection, talk to your
grownups. The sooner you get help, the
sooner you’ll feel–and hear–better.Dr. UniverseDo you have a question? Ask Dr. Uni-
verse. Send an email to Washington State
University’s resident scientist and writer at
[email protected] or visit her website,
askdruniverse.com.HASTINGS PUBLIC
LIBRARY SCHEDULE
Pierce Cedar Creek Institute
events for Feb. 16-
Feb. 1-28 – February Storybook Walk:
“The Birdwatchers” by Simon James. Go
on a birdwatching adventure with a grand-
father and his grandchild. After your story-
book adventure, stop by the south side of
the Visitor Center and discover common
Michigan backyard birds. This Storybook
Walk is thanks to the generosity of Joel and
Barbara Vandyken. The Storybook Walk is
free and self-guided.
Friday, Feb. 23 – Conservation in a
Changing World Lecture Series: Capturing
Conservation through Storytelling (in-per-
son and on Zoom). Program: 11 a.m.-noon.
Lunch: Noon-1 p.m. If nature could speak,
what would it say? Join Jason Whalen ofFauna Creative as he shares his process and
passion for giving nature a “voice” by
bringing conservation stories to life through
photography, videography and storytelling.
A recording of the program will be avail-
able to all registered participants on the
Institute’s YouTube channel. Register by
Thursday, Feb. 15, to reserve a lunch. Insti-
tute members can attend the just the pro-
gram for free. Non-members must pay $
for the program. Institute members will
pay $15 for the program and lunch, while
non-members will pay $21.
Those interested can register for these
events and find more information at cedar-
creekinstitute.org/events/.Church safety conference
slated for end of the month
Jayson Bussa
Editor
The Barry County Sheriff’s Office plans
to bring in a retired Lieutenant Colonel of
the United States Army to serve as keynote
speaker for its annual Larry Jackson
Memorial Church Safety Conference.
The event is slated for Saturday, Feb. 24
at First Baptist Church of Middleville,
5215 M-37 Highway.
The all-day event, which is designed to
provide information on how to maintain a
safer church environment, will feature Lt.
Col. Dave Grossman, who is billed as one
of the nation’s foremost experts in human
aggression and in tracing the roots of
human violence. Grossman is a former
psychology professor at West Point and
operates Grossman Academy, where he
provides a variety of training courses for
both law enforcement and members of the
military.
“He’s a go-to guy for law enforcement,”
Barry County Sheriff Dar Leaf said. “...
He’s a former Army Ranger and has his
PhD in psychology. That’s his specialty,
figuring out why people want to go out and
kill each other.”
In addition to Grossman’s keynote talk,
the event features a variety of breakout
sessions, dealing with such topics as
responding to active violence, issuing first
aid and the laws associated with self-de-
fense and deadly force.
The conference kicks off at 8:30 a.m.and concludes at 5 p.m. Lunch will be pro-
vided.
The event is free to attend, but register-
ing ahead of time is encouraged to meet
food demands and ensure that classes don’t
fill up beyond capacity.
Donations will be accepted to defray the
cost of this year’s event and develop a bud-
get for future events.
Registration can be completed online at
barrychurchsafety.org.
This will mark the sixth installment of
the church safety conference. It began
eight years ago but was paused during the
COVID-19 pandemic.Lt. Col. Dave GrossmanThe earliest photograph of our Hastings firemen, taken in 1884, shows a hand-pulled hose reel.