The Odd Fellows Building on the northwest corner of Great Plain Avenue and Chapel Street, circa 1885. The road in the foreground is Great Plain Avenue; the white house near the left margin is the Evangelical Congregational Chapel, on Chapel Street.
1887 – the Year of the Big Fire
“The penetrating whistle of the Boston train arriving at midnight on Friday of last week, gave [the alarm] to the people of Needham that its principal and most ornate business block, Odd Fellows Building, was in flames. … Although the fire had evidently just but started, and people were soon on the spot, the flames increased with such wonderful rapidity that not a scrap could be taken from any part of the building. Its origin was in the basement, and…a dense smoke arose like some black demon of night.” (The Needham Chronicle, May 21, 1887).
The Odd Fellows Building was built in 1874, the third business block in Needham’s new town center. For nearly two centuries, Needham’s center was at the intersection of Nehoiden Street and Central Avenue, near the main coach roads. Once the railroad was built in 1853, crossing the sparsely-occupied Great Plain, businesses and homes were increasingly drawn to the vicinity of the Center Station.
The first business block in the new center was Village Hall, a modest two-story structure built in 1854, right beside the station. It featured a general store and post office, with an assembly room on the second floor. The second, the Moseley Building (1874), was significantly larger, with retail space for several stores, as well as two upper stories of meeting rooms and office space. It occupied the entire SW corner of Great Plain Avenue at Chestnut Street.
Neither building could compare to the magnificent Odd Fellows Block, across the street on the NW corner (currently Needham Center Fine Wines). The Odd Fellows Building was by far the most ornate building Needham had yet seen, with large decorative windows, an excess of pilasters and moldings, peaked dormers, a multi-hued slate mosaic roof, and a central turret with a glass cupola. There were three full floors for offices and retail, and a fourth floor used for the meetings and records of the Odd Fellows Lodge itself, as well as for several other service or fraternal organizations. The Grand Army of the Republic, the Civil War veterans’ organization, met there; they also had an exhibit there of Needham’s Civil War and Revolutionary War memorabilia.
Despite its grandeur, it had become clear early on that the building had problems. In 1876, the School Committee called it a “fire trap.” 'A Citizen' wrote to the Needham Chronicle in 1883 to dispute “…the report that has gone about within a week or two, that the Odd Fellows Building is unsafe for a large company to assemble in…” Even the editor of the Chronicle offered only faint praise – “From turret to foundation stone it was a thing of beauty… It cannot be denied that it was inconvenient and never adapted to the purpose for which it was designed.”
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Dentist Edmund Leach, foreground, surveys the rubble of the fire that claimed his office and equipment. Behind Dr Leach is the Moseley Building and Crossman’s General Store. The white house (center) is now the site of Harvey’s, and the strip of grass visible at the left margin is the Common.
The fire on May 13th was fast and destructive, consuming the building in little more than an hour, and leaving almost nothing behind to salvage. Firefighters from the new Station #1 on Chestnut Street arrived quickly, but their hand-pumped trucks and limited water supply were no match. Instead, they turned their efforts to preventing the loss of other properties, especially the Moseley Building across the street – “…The Firemen, who manned hand pumps with a firemanship which must always remain noteworthy, saved the Moseley Building, where the heat was so intense that store windows cracked and bananas inside sizzled and roasted.” (Chronicle). In the 1880s, bananas were a new – and expensive – delicacy in the market.
The fire site smoldered for over a week. Finally, the rubble was pushed into the cellar hole, and a fence was erected around it. Amazingly, the site remained in that state for nearly thirty years – a familiar local sight known as “the Cellar Hole” – before The Crest’s storefront was built in 1916.
It was quickly determined that the devastating fire was caused by arson. The Town offered a reward, but the culprit was never identified and the reward never claimed. None of the business owners were suspected – all, including the building’s owners, were under-insured and lost far more than they would have gained. Merchants lost their stock, tools and ledgers; lodges lost their precious records and memorabilia. A few were able to start up again in other locations in town, but many could not.
Among the victims was Bowers and Brown, Steam Printers, who had just launched a new newspaper, the Needham Enterprise. On May 18, 1887 it led with this story –
“Few minutes elapsed from the time the fire was discovered before the [Odd Fellows Building] was one complete mass of flame… Not one vestige of the beautiful building remained in an hours’ time”
Messrs. Bowers and Brown also expressed their gratitude to the publisher of the Needham Chronicle, who let them use his presses so they could publish their one and only issue – a report on the fire that put them out of business.
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Membership!
It's easy ~ It's fun! ~ It's important!!
The Needham History Center's Members provide the support that makes our programs possible. From our 3d grade Schoolhouse Day to the Thursday News articles, everything we do in the community is Thanks to You!
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You never know what you'll find in the Heirloom Shoppe!
Household goods, decorative items, and all kinds of vintage treasures - with new and wonderful items arriving every week! We just got a large donation of decorative and table ware, so there is a lot of new goodies to check out. For details and hours, visit our new Heirloom Shoppe page.
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Stay up-to-date - follow us on Instagram and Facebook!
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We were very grateful for the large turnout for this program, and sorry that not everyone could be accommodated. The program was recorded, and the link to the recording is at https://youtu.be/TbG-AuGecRc
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Who Do You Wear Your Mask For?
Take the #NeedhamMaskChallenge!
To join the Needham Mask Challenge, simply snap a photo of yourself wearing a mask and post it to social media using the hashtag #NeedhamMaskChallenge. Tag the Town of Needham on Facebook and Instagram and tell us who you wear your mask for.
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Calendar and Events
Join us (via Zoom) - Registration is free and open to all.
April 10, 2021 (Saturday), 9:00 am to 3:00 pm – Pansy Day Festival
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Pansy Day is back! We will have pansy plants of all sizes — flats, potted and hanging in an array of vibrant colors. Members of the Needham Garden Club are creating beautiful containers to adorn patios and porches. Items from the History Center Gift and Heirloom Shops will also be available for browsing and purchase. To allow for proper distancing, the sales will be held outside on the lawn.
April 21 at 7:00 pm – The Great Molasses Flood
Michael Manning, Boston Harbor Now
Zoom link:
- Learn about the Great Molasses Flood of 1919 – its causes and the devastating impact it had on Boston’s North End Neighborhood.
Missed any?
View the recordings of our previous programs:
September 10, 2020 - Patriots & Pirates: NC Wyeth in Needham
Gloria Greis, Executive Director, Needham History Center.
September 22 - Women's Suffrage in Needham
Gloria Greis, Executive Director, Needham History Center.
October 20 - The Fuller Bird Journals
Gloria Greis, Executive Director, Needham History Center.
November 4 - Plenty of Economic Stimulus! ... What to Do?
Bruce Johnstone, Fidelity Investments.
February 21, 2021 - Enslavement in Needham: Reckoning with a Difficult History
Gloria Greis, Executive Director, Needham History Center and
Rev. Catoe Scudera, Minister, First Parish in Needham
February 25 - Needham's Streetcar Journey from Farmland to Suburb
Gloria Greis, Executive Director, Needham History Center.
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Community Events
From time to time, we will post event information from our community partners and friends, that might be of interest.
Blue Lotus Healing Arts is offering a discounted yoga class to Needham History Center members. Try them out with a yoga class for just $10. Contact Margaret at yoga@bluelotushealingarts.com for more information.
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Stay Safe and Stay Informed!
The vaccine and warmer weather tempt us to ease the COVID restrictions that we have lived with for ore than a year. Please keep yourselves and your town safe and healthy by sticking to the guidelines posted by Gov. Baker and the Needham Board of Health. It's easy to get tired of the restrictions, and start to get careless, but we have to keep it up for a little while longer!
The Town of Needham has posted a website to coordinate the COVID-19 response. The site provides frequent updates on the status of COVID-19 in Needham, vaccination information, and on any recommendations and restrictions that have been made.
Needham social service providers have convened to centralize information and resources. Get Connected Needham is a resource list that includes supports for residents of all ages and income levels and is intended to more easily connect individuals and families to services they may need during this time.
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We thank our Corporate Sponsors
for their generous and ongoing support!
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Lead Sponsor - The Needham Bank
Exhibits Sponsor - BID-Needham
The Dedham Inst. for Savings . The Middlesex Bank
Louise Condon Realty . Petrini Corporation . The Vita Needle Company
The Needham Women's Club . JC Timmerman, Inc.
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The Needham History Center & Museum
781-455-8860 / www.needhamhistory.org
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