1830-1854

1831 fire leaves city of chimneys

"Fayetteville is no more!"

That was the first line of a dramatic letter written by the Rev. Henry A. Rowland Jr. of First Presbyterian Church on the night of May 29, 1831.

Earlier that Sunday he had witnessed the "Great Fire," as it has been known since.

The pastor's letter to the editors of the National Gazette newspaper continued: "This morning the sun rose upon us in its beauty, and with gladdened hearts we flocked to the churches of our God - now we are in RUINS. But two stores of all this place are standing. The rest are entirely consumed. Nothing but stacks of tottering chimneys remain to tell the place where Fayetteville was."

The fire reportedly began in the kitchen of James Kyle, whose home was at the northwest corner of Market Square.

By the time the fire finally ran its course some six hours later, the town of about 3,000 residents had lost hundreds of homes and businesses and most of its best-known public buildings.

Among them were the old "State House," which had become the "Town House," and, according to a contemporary newspaper account: "Cape Fear Bank, the Catholic chapel, the Presbyterian and Episcopal churches, the Academy, the LaFayette and Mansion hotels."

No lives lost

The fire was believed to be one of the worst in the nation's history, even though, remarkably, no lives were lost. As word of Fayetteville's disaster spread, people from across the country responded with an unprecedented outpouring of humanitarian relief.

Six months after the fire, a committee reported that the contributions had totaled more than $100,000. President Andrew Jackson sent $50. People in Boston, New York and Philadelphia contributed more than $10,000 from each city. Boston firemen contributed a new fire engine, shipped up the Cape Fear River to Fayetteville.

Fayetteville leaders moved quickly to help the victims and rebuild the town. Within a year, the signature Market House would be constructed on the site of the old State House.

In 1845, Fayetteville was again devastated by a fire that destroyed more than 50 buildings in its central business district. In 1846, it suffered another loss as a fire destroyed about 25 buildings.

Those two fires, though significant, could not hold a proverbial candle to the "Great Fire" of 1831.