“What happens when your town burns down? Well, you figure out you need a Fire Department,” said Heritage Commission member Michael Dell’Orto to a small audience gathered to hear the story of the time that the Wilton Main Street burned all but to the ground – not once, but three times in 11 years.
The first took place on Dec. 2, 1874, destroying Main Street, including the Whiting House Hotel, the largest building on Main Street. The town did have a hand pump fire engine at that time – given to the town in 1870. But it took some time to track down where the pumper was stored in someone’s barn, and almost another hour to thaw the frozen valves to get it working. While Wilton was trying to get its hand pump in order, crews from Milford and Nashua responded, but the fire had spread, and by the time Nashua was on the scene, most of Main Street had been consumed. The only building still standing from that time was the current Local Share.
Three weeks later, the town held a special town meeting to officially organize a fire department, appoint fire engineers, and authorize the purchase of another fire engine, raising $3,000 for the purpose.
Of that, the town spent $425 to purchase the Engine House No. 2 and $870 on a second engine for the town. The town used another $175 to purchase a lot for another Engine House, and $1,075 to build it.
But despite an organized department, it was not the last time that Wilton would face the destruction of its business center. Fire struck again in 1881. And then again in 1885 – in a startling coincidence on the same date as the first catastrophic fire – Dec. 2. Each time, the damage was crushing. The town, in each fire, lost its library along with most of its major businesses and hotels.
“Our town burned three times in 11 years,” said Dell’Orto. “The thing that comes out of this is our resilience. There are many people that would have packed up and left. But not us.”