This week I am going to tell you about the exciting night of April 19, 1894, which was only three months after the Great Central Street fire, which destroyed the entire block of buildings.

This time, the fire was in Depot Square. Unlike the Central Street fire, when the thermometer registered 15 degrees below zero, the night of April 19th was very warm, almost too warm for this time of the year. It was after midnight, and the only light was from a kerosene street lamp in front of the Damon Block.

Unlike the present block, which was originally constructed with three stories in it, this building had two stories. There were several apartments upstairs and a hall , which was used by fraternal organizations. There were several stores on the street level, the largest being Damon's Hardware and Furniture Store.

The fire erupted suddenly just after midnight. And by the time the horses were hitched to the fire engines and the men arrived, the fire had spread heavily. The next morning the entire building was in ruins.

It is said that Cora Jewett and her sister, who lived upstairs, escaped but she lost her gold watch. Later, someone found the watch while poking through the ruins and returned it to her.

For years there had been attempts to have town water installed in Ipswich. But the article was always defeated at the town meeting. But these two fires won the case.

A special town meeting was called, and before December of that year people were turning on their faucets in their kitchen sinks. The water system had been installed.

—HAROLD D. BOWEN