Fairfield High School - Quill Yearbook (Fairfield, IA)

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c The Walls Came Tumblin’ Down FHS BURNS!! The following article was taken from The Fairfield Ledger, April 22, 1938. With only a comparatively small crowd of shivering spectators present the fine ap- pearing Fairfield school building became a $200,000 fire loss early this morning. In spite of a determined fight by the Fairfield Fire department called about 1:15 this morning, the entire structure was seen to be doomed. The auditorium stage and dressing rooms were a seething inferno, upon which the many heavy streams of wa- ter had almost no effect. Two local CCC youths. Bill Brobston and George Turner, are credited with be- ing the first persons to see the fire and responsible for turning in the alarm. Brobston and Turner, rookies and on the first late leave they have ever had, were returning to camp when they saw flames coming out of the dressing room windows in the rear of the north side of the school building. They saw a light at 207 W. Briggs street, immediately east of the High School, and hurried there where they knocked on the door. Miss Ruby Wright turned in the alarm about 1:15 a.m. School employees were soon on hand to assist to saving the most valuable papers. CAUSE NOT DEFINITELY FIXED The exact cause of the fire may never be definitely known. Firemen found upon ar- rival that the center of the blaze was in the dressing room west of the stage. At this point the roof first gave way. Members of the cast stated today that there was some smoking in the building. This dressing room was used last night by the men in the cast of Sunny Skies”. X. Nady Jr., says that he believes he was the last person in that dressing room having returned on an im- pulse to take away his clothes which he had originally intended to leave overnight. A strong wind which broke through the burning roof forced the fire downward from floor to floor and throughout the south wall of the auditorium. Scenery for Sunny Skies , was a total loss. Many of the costumes however, had been taken home by the actors. The illumination of the sky and the long train of sparks were said to be the most spectacular seen in Fairfield since the burning of the old Eclipse lumber yard in New Chicago. At that fire several years ago, a strong wind blew a long train of sparks southeastward across the sky, and water was needed to extinguish fires on the roof of the Jefferson county hospital in the extreme southeast part of town. RESUME CLASSES MONDAY. ASK STUDENTS TO MEET SATURDAY AT PARSONS All Fairfield High school students are being asked to meet at Barhydt chapel at 10 a.m. Saturday morning, Supt. W.G. Pence stated this morning as arrangements got underway for resuming classes on Monday. Students must be present on time and should bring pencils, notebooks or suit- able writing materials. Classes are to be held in the college buildings throughout the day and in the Lincoln buildings during the mornings only. Commencing Monday Lincoln Grade students will go to school from 12:30 noon until 5 p.m. Approximately five weeks of the current school year remains. During the rest of the term Supt. W.G. Pence will have his office in rooms above the Bradshaw Furniture store. The superin- tendent's office may be reached by ascend- ing the stairs at the outside of the store on northeast corner. One of the greatest immediate losses Supt. Pence said today is the loss of text books. It is hoped however that these may be replaced within as short a time as possi- ble. SCF.NF. LAST NIGHT AT H 4

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W.G. Pence Superintendent The man behind the scenes.' J.F.T. Saur Principal Swell is the word for him.” The Fairfield High School as it was up until the disaster on April 22, 1938. 3

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The FHS building as it was seen the evening before April 22, 1938. The striking reproduction of last night's Fire accurately por- trays the structure when it became a total loss .... (taken from The Fairfield Ledger, 1938) A busy Burlington Street as it was in 1938, unaware of what was to happen April 22. A new era began with the destruction of old FHS, as the new one now stands tall, proud, and undestructable. 5