Two Fires on Our Farm: 52 Ancestors 2025 Prompt “Fire”

 

Lantern Fire and Chimney Fire: Peterson Family Stories

Paul Peterson: 1867-1941 (Paternal grandfather)

 

As a child, I heard stories about two fires at our farm. The fires occurred about thirty years apart in different buildings, one in the chickenhouse, and one in our farmhouse. Thankfully, neither caused significant damage.

The date of the first fire is very uncertain, and the details of the incident are unclear. All I remember hearing is that my grandfather, Paul Peterson, had an accident with a kerosene lantern in the chicken house. I’m guessing he dropped it or kicked it over, and the kerosene exploded into flames. Apparently, the fire did little damage to the chicken house, which still survives. However, as I remember the story, it had an adverse effect on Paul’s health, leading my father to drop out of school to take over the farm. I think Paul’s lungs may have been damaged by smoke and fumes, leaving him weaker and less active than he had been, and more prone to severe illness if he caught a disease that affected the lungs. If the incident truly occurred around the year my father left school, that would have been after eighth grade when my dad was about fourteen, so around 1931.

The chicken house on the farm in 1970, with my brother and dog Bitsy

The second fire occurred during my early childhood, when I was about three years old, so probably around 1962. Our house had an oil-burning furnace with a brick chimney that rose through the center of the house two stories to the roof. The chimney apparently clogged up, and there was a chimney fire. Fortunately, the fire started during daylight hours, and it was still late fall so there wasn’t snow on the ground when my mom had to flee outside with me. The local volunteer fire department arrived quickly and was able to extinguish the fire without serious damage to the house or chimney. I expect we had to have the chimney swept before the furnace could be used again, but I don’t remember those details.

Peterson farm house in the 1950s, chimney visible.

I was told that I was very excited by the fire and the arrival of the big red firetruck with its wailing siren. I apparently was fascinated with the firemen and their gear and watched them closely. When my Aunt Mabel Peterson walked down the road from her house to see what was going on, I ran up to her, yelling delightedly, “Mabel! Mabel! Our house all burned down!” She responded calmly, as I always remember her reacting, and said, “Oh dear! I certainly hope not!” Thankfully, I was exaggerating a bit!

Late fall shot of our farm house in 1970

These family stories made me aware of how simple farm accidents can have serious consequences. The stories also made me grateful for the kindness and courage of rural volunteer firefighters, who would drop what they were doing when the siren went off, and would run to help their neighbors. God bless them all!

Sources:

Family stories. 1970 photos taken by me.