Buffington Blaze

The great fire of 1928 tore through a large portion of Fall River’s business district, without prejudice, leaving ash and rubble in its wake. The Buffington Building which housed the FRHS and the majority of its collection were destroyed when the supposedly fire-proof building was engulfed. The only objects to survive were those that were carefully locked away in a safe, but some of those pieces show evidence of fire. Even though the items stored and exhibited at 10 Purchase Street were lost to the appetite of the inferno, the FRHS would not be bested by such an unfortunate disaster.

Erected circa 1916 by James Buffington (1867-1954) – grandson of Fall River’s first mayor – the Buffington Building was deemed repairable. The interior was gutted, and refinished, and more stringent measures were enforced to insure fire resistance.
The ’28 conflagration was, indeed, a tragedy for Fall River. Already on a downward financial trajectory due to the mill’s closing, the city continued on this path into the Great Depression. The fire that destroyed a large portion of the business district was hugely detrimental – economically and emotionally for its residents. Sadly, this was not the first time Spindle City was affected by fiery destruction.

In 1916 South Main Street erupted in flames, with damages totaling upwards of $1,000,000.00, making that the most devastating loss the city had seen up until that time. However, 1928 was the worst Fall Riverites had seen, with damages of over $10,000,000.00 – according to Stefani Koorey, who authored Historic Fires of Fall River (17-19).

Immediately after the shock and heartbreak subsided, the FRHS worked quickly to procure artifacts and other items vital in preserving the history of the city. By 1931 the FRHS took up residence once again on Purchase Street until moving to 451 Rock Street, in 1937.