American House Fire Dec 16, '06, Burlington. Vt.
Llewellyn Collection of Vermont History
Published Materials
Identifier
2010.1.581Date
December 16 1906;January 6 1907 (Exact Date;Postmark Dates)Place of Publication
Burlington, VTObject Type
PostcardsDescription
Black and white postcard depicting a fire at the American House on the corner of Main and St. Paul Streets, with spectators watching from Main Street. Captioned "American House Fire Dec 16, '06, Burlington. Vt. / Photo by Barker" on lower left of front. Labeled "Published by B. Benton Barker, / Burlington, VT." on left edge of rear.Dimensions
13.8 cm (W) 9 cm (H)Material
Paper, PhotographNotes
On a bitter cold December morning in 1906, crowds gathered at the corner of Main and St. Paul Streets as a catastrophic fire swept through Burlington's premier hotel, the American House. Local photographer B. Benton Barker rushed over from his studio and home on College Street to capture the scene. He soon published his images of billowing smoke, firefighters, and spectators in a series of postcards that he sold.According to the Burlington Weekly Free Press of December 20, 1906, the hotel was gutted, and one hotel guest died. Several street-level shops and apartments at the rear of the building were also destroyed. Only a portion of the structure, the eastern section fronting on Main Street, survived the fire; it now contains the Flynn Theatre's FlynnSpace as well as several stores. In 1911, the Hotel Vermont, now the Vermont House, succeeded the American House on the corner site. - Erica Donnis, Llewellyn Collection Manager, December 2014Subjects
Fire extinction--Vermont--Burlington--History. (depicts)Main Street (Burlington, Vt.) (depicts)
American House (Burlington, Vt.) (depicts)