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Blow to Historic Preservation in Texas
Scurry County:
Fire on the Snyder Town Square
Photos by
Charlene Beauchamp and Christopher Kelly
Text from various reports
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Hotel Here Snyder
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Other
than a tornado, the worst fate that can hit a small town is fire,
especially when it occurs on the town square where the town's most
important businesses stand right up against one another - in many
cases sharing common walls. |
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The
west side of the square before the fire
Photo
Courtesy Charlene Beatty Beauchamp |
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Rubble
hauled from the site
Photo
Courtesy Christopher Kelly |
The
most recent of courthouse square fires occurred late last month (Feb.
2003) in the West Texas town of Snyder
- the county seat of Scurry
County.
Alert citizen Cindy Gill noticed smoke in the window of the building
just after 8 p.m. and called it in.
The fire department arrived in minutes, but unfortunately the entire
upstairs was engulfed and the 1905 building collapsed - a total loss
in less than a half-hour. Fire departments from the neighboring towns
of Sweetwater, Colorado City,
Roscoe and Loraine
responded, and together they succeeded in preventing the blaze from
spreading. |
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Snyder's
landmark White Buffalo guards firefighter's food and water
Photo
Courtesy Christopher Kelly |
Forum
The recent fire on the Snyder, TX square was on the west side, not
the south side. The south side is the one with the Ritz Theater. -
Jerry Clift
More Texas Historic
Preservation
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Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories
and recent or vintage/historic photos, please contact
us. |
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