Trials & tribulations of Chariton's first City Hall

I wrote earlier in the week about the history of the Chariton Volunteer Fire Department's 1883 bell, perched above the pedestrian entrance to the 1978 fire station wing of our 1931 City Hall, in a post headlined, "For whom the fire bell hath tolled ...."

If you read that post, you'll recall that the bell was purchased after an embarrassing fire on Sept. 9, 1883, destroyed the city's first city hall-fire station combination and all that it contained. What I didn't make clear in the earlier post was the fact that the building itself --- Chariton's first city hall --- was less than a year old when it went up in smoke.

So Chariton has had three city halls, all located in the same place --- a half block south of the southwest corner of the square on the west side of South Main Street (originally named Harrison Street). 

The Sanborn Fire Insurance map used as an illustration here is dated 1883 and shows the outline of that original city hall. The county jail (now Veterans Memorial Hall) is located to the southwest and the Pitnam House hotel, on the corner just to the south. Court Avenue then was Adams Street and today's Linden Avenue, Jefferson.

The south half of today's City Hall sits on the footprint of the first City Hall and the north half, squarely on a vacated alley. Various small commercial enterprises continued to occupy the site of the 1978 fire station wing until it was built.

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Chariton's Volunteer Fire Department was organized during December of 1877 in response to an Oct. 19 fire that destroyed the city's pride and joy, a big 1867 two-story school building on the current Columbus School site. When that fire broke out, the city did not have a fire department, nor did it have a fire engine, nor did it have a water supply. 

After standing around and watching the school burn, the city council of the day --- finally --- decided action was called for, ordered the first Silsby Steamer, a hook and ladder wagon and all the necessary firefighting equipment of the day. The call for volunteer firefighters resulted in a gratifying turnout.

But for a number of years after that, there was no city-owned place to store all of the equipment, for volunteers to meet for training or, for that matter, for the city council and the mayor to conduct city business. Various buildings near the square were rented for the firefighters while the mayor and councilmen continued to roam.

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Finally, during 1882 the decision to build was made and a lot purchased, conveniently near two livery stables where horses needed to pull both the steamer and the hook and ladder wagon could be kept.

During August of 1882, the council's building committee, with plans in hand, was instructed to locate the position of the new building on the lot owned by the city and bids were sought. The sole bidder was the partnership of Routt & Combs (George B. Routt and George Combs), brick masons and contractors. Their bid was $3,950, $450 more than the city wanted to spend, but construction began.

The Chariton Patriot was able to report in its edition of Oct. 26 that "The new Engine house on Harrison street is approaching completion,"

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By late September, the new building was occupied and firefighters threw open its doors to welcome a visiting hook and ladder company from Oskaloosa, in town to demonstrate their skills during the county fair. "In the evening," The Patriot of Sept. 27 reported, "the firemen of both the home and visiting companies gathered at the engine house and had a pleasant social time together, including speeches from officers and members of both companies, after which our boys took their visitors in tow and piloted them to a restaurant, where an oyster supper was had, and the sociability continued until the delegation left for home."

Firefighters didn't have long to wait before a major blaze gave them opportunity to test the utility of their new quarters. At 12:45 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 1882, a fire broke out in the bake shop of G.F. Gasser on the west side of the square, taking out five frame buildings from the intersection of Court Avenue and South Main north to the brick wall of the Matson Building (then occupied by First National Bank, now occupied by Johansen Plumbing & Heating).

While there was general agreement that the firefighters had saved the day by preventing flames from spreading farther, there were some complaints --- addressed in The Democrat-Leader of Dec. 7:

"A few unjust criticisms were made upon the Fire Department Tuesday morning, on account of the delay in throwing water. It is true there was delay, and to many it seemed that too much time elapsed between the alarm and the throwing of water. But the blame cannot attach to any member of the Fire Department. No provision has been made by the city for keeping a man at the engine house, and when the alarm was given, and the engineer arrived at his post, everything was cold and it takes time to reach the engine house and it takes still more time to fire up and boil water. The experience Tuesday morning will certainly warrant the city authorities in employing a proper person to stay with the engine at night and have it in constant readiness for service.. We think we are perfectly safe in saying that if steam had been raised in the engine within ten minutes from the time the alarm was given, the fire would have been confined entirely to the bake shop."

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The new City Hall consisted of an equipment room fronted by large doors on the first floor and two rooms on the second floor, reached by an exterior stair --- one housing the city office and the other serving as a training room for firefighters.

During February of 1883, the editor of  The Patriot sat in on a meeting of the firefighters in the new training room and filed the following report, published on Feb. 14:

The Hook and Ladder and Engine Cos. met Thursday night in their room in the new city hall, for the purpose of transacting business of mutual interest to both companies, Mr. Geo. Ensley, foreman of engine company, in the chair. There was a large turnout of the members of both companies, evincing the unabated interest taken in the fire department by our brave volunteers. A. Hoagland was appointed janitor to take care of the room and have it always ready for regular and called meetings of either company.

The companies have joined in fitting up their room in a comfortable and very tasteful manner. A good carpet covers the floor, pleasant pictures adorn the walls and the whole room presents an air of cheerfulness and comfort, strong in contrast with the cheerless room in the old engine house.

By a resolution unanimously adopted, smoking and the use of tobacco is prohibited in the room. Quite an animated debate ensued on the question of banishing the spittoon. When a vote was reached, it appeared the anti-spittoon crowd, the most of them smokers or chewers, manifested a heroic spirit of self-sacrifice, voting to kick that always nasty but sometimes useful abomination downstairs.

Through much kind encouragement and not a little adverse criticism, we now find our volunteer fire department better organized and more efficient that ever before. The companies contain the best nerve and courage. They are ready at any hour of the day or night to face the dreadful enemy who always comes suddenly and with appalling energy and destruction. 

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But as reported earlier, Chariton's firefighters had only a few months to enjoy their new home. The building and all it contained went up in flames on Sept. 9, 1883 --- and that was the end of Chariton's first City Hall.