The Dartmouth Hall Fire of 1904
On the morning of February 18, 1904, while the students were attending chapel, fire broke out in Dartmouth Hall. The original building, begun in 1784 and completed in 1791, had survived fireplaces, wood-burning stoves, candles, and oil lamps only to fall victim to faulty wiring. The temperature was minus 20 degrees that day, and the local volunteer fire department could not stop the blaze. The building burned to the ground in under two hours, leaving only two window frames behind. (Photo courtesy Rauner Special Collections Library)
The Dartmouth Hall Fire of 1904
On the morning of February 18, 1904, while the students were attending chapel, fire broke out in Dartmouth Hall. The original building, begun in 1784 and completed in 1791, had survived fireplaces, wood-burning stoves, candles, and oil lamps only to fall victim to faulty wiring. The temperature was minus 20 degrees that day, and the local volunteer fire department could not stop the blaze. The building burned to the ground in under two hours, leaving only two window frames behind. (Photo courtesy Rauner Special Collections Library)