Galeton, Pennsylvania Fire
January 1916
Among the fires of this period, by all means
the worst was the great Galeton fire of January,
1916, which swept a large part of the business
section on the south side of Main Street and on
Bridge Street. The losses were as follows:
F. C. Edgcomb,
Central Hotel.
Spiero and Barkus Company, store and living
rooms.
Albee & Seltz, hardware. Galeton Leader Dispatch
on the second floor. Third floor, living rooms
occupied by Nellie and Mary Ward.
Building owned by E. M. Dickinson,
two business
places and living rooms of
L. J. White.
J.W. Zindel,
store. Living rooms above occupied
by Mr. and Mrs. George Greicke.
W. S. Kelly,
store and living rooms.
A. Lehman, city drug store and living rooms.
Rooms in basement occupied by
L. C. Marsh.
T.E. Baldwin, store, occupied by
C. R. Mosch.
Office of Dr. J.G. Steele and K. of C. hall
overhead.
T.E. Baldwin, store, occupied by
G. F. Slobodnik,
tailor and Cady, jeweler. Living rooms of
V. D.
Acker overhead.
Methodist church.
Dr. H. A. Laye, residence.
Earl White, music store and undertaking, living
rooms in the same building.
J.W. Zindel, residence.
Mrs. C. A. Speigel, opera house, tenants on
second floor, two story building and residence.
Mrs. J. T. Hurd,
dwelling occupied by
S. J.
Brian.
Mrs. Lizzie Kohler,
dwelling occupied by
Mrs.
B. J. Campbell.
Guillotte Gasket Company, factory.
W. D. Allen, insurance office.
V. D. Acker, law
office overhead.
This fire entailed a loss estimated at $300,000
to $350,000, the greatest ever sustained in any
fire that ever occurred in Potter County,
exceeding even the amount of loss in the
Coudersport fire of 1880. But the western part
of the business section on Main Street was not
destroyed. Galeton was ill-prepared to meet such
a loss, as the fire occurred just at the time of
the closing of the big sawmills, when the town
was losing in population. Nevertheless, the
burned district was practically all rebuilt. The
Leader Dispatch was published in Westfield for a
short time following the loss of the printing
plant.
History of Potter
County, Pa. by Victor L. Beebe, 1934, pages
258-259
Galeton, Pa., Jan 19 -- Fifteen business
houses and twenty residences were destroyed by
fire early this morning. The low water
pressure and the prevailing high wind prevented
the firemen from successfully combating the
blaze. Seven buildings were blown up with
dynamite to check the flames. Among the
buildings destroyed were, the Galeton "Leader
Dispatch", First Methodist church, the Grand
Central Hotel and the Galeton opera house.
The loss is estimated at $200,000.
Indiana Evening Gazette, Indiana, Pa 19 Jan 1916
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