The Chincoteague Fire of 1920

    The 1920 US Federal Census for Chincoteague (The Islands District), Accomack County, Virginia was done by Asa L. Conant.  He listed everyone residing on Chincoteague Island, Piney Island, and Assateague Island.  Unfortunately, he did not make exact delineations for Piney Island and Assateague - but there are some interesting numbers.  The "Town of Chincoteague" included 1,418 residents, who were enumerated between January 2nd and 10th.  There were 344 homes listed within the Town, holding 361 families.  On North and South Main Street, 127 homes are listed.  Clark Street had 26 homes listed, but four are without numbers.  Pension Avenue contains 20 houses, while Church Street had 55 residences.  There were 8 homes listed on Mumford Street, while Cleveland and Cropper Streets both had 15 houses each.  Jester Street also held 15 homes, while Willow Street has 55 residences listed, but 16 of them have no number attached.

   The unincorporated areas of Chincoteague, Piney Island, and Assateague had 1,842 residents in 453 homes that contained 472 separate families.  Asa L. Conant listed these residents between January 12th and 26th, with Assateague village being his last enumeration area.  I know this because the Lighthouse Keepers and Assistant Lighthouse Keepers, as well as William T. ("Big Bill") Scott, who ran the small store there, (as well as the families on Roy Jones' map of Assateague village) are counted on the last two pages of the Census for the Island District.  Adding these sets of numbers together, we have 3,260 people with homes on the islands; and 797 residences that housed 833 families.

   There had been a few small house fires on the island over the years.  In 1905, a small hand-pumped fire engine was purchased, and was used successfully in a small house fire, along with a bucket brigade.  A small, gas-powered pumper was purchased a few years later, and the island felt itself well-protected from fire.

   Catastrophe struck the Town of Chincoteague at 1 o'clock in the morning on Sunday, September 5th.  A brisk northwest wind fanned the flames that started at what is now 4102 Main Street, spreading the fire to buildings on both sides.  The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company's  History page states:  "The church bells began to ring, and riders on horseback throughout the town began shouting "Fire. Fire." People came running with all kinds of buckets and the two small fire engines were brought out for use.  One of these engines had been neglected for 16 years, and the other one was too small to be of any use."  The east side of Main Street was leveled from Church Street to a few buildings south of Mumford Street, and reaching east behind Main for two to four residences the entire length of the burn.  Tuesday's The Morning News of Wilmington, Delaware had the story on page 3:  "COAST GUARD AID IN SAVING A TOWN  -  They Rowed Nearly Three Miles in Sea to Fight Fire At Chincoteague  -  Big Blow To Island Town  -  Hotels, Stores and Houses Were Destroyed at a Loss Estimated to Be $300,000  -  Chincoteague, Va.,  Sept. 6  -  The business section of Chincoteague was visited by a serious fire early yesterday morning, which destroyed the Marine Bank, the Atlantic Hotel, a number of business houses and dwellings.  The loss has not been estimated, but it will probably reach $300,000, with some insurance.

   The origin of the fire is unknown, but it is thought by some to have originated in electric wires.  It started in the ice cream saloon of Lewis Doughty.

   The buildings destroyed were: New Marine Bank Building, which had not been occupied, having just been completed; Atlantic Hotel, William C. Bunting's general store and dwelling, Charles Burton's store and dwelling, C. W. Bradley's store, Charles Jefferis' home, several small dwellings owned by Mr. Bunting, John Mears' home.

   Mr. Bunting is believed to have been the heaviest individual loser, his loss being estimated at $25,000.  How much insurance he carried is not known.  There was $3,000 insurance on the Atlantic Hotel.

   What was destroyed comprised of one block on the east side of Main street.  Due to the good work of firemen and coast guards, who helped them, the blaze did not cross to the west side of Main street.

   A number of guests were asleep in the Atlantic Hotel. All got out safely, and they were able to save their belongings.   Dr. Emery E. Bell, who lives opposite the hotel, fearing for the safety of his home, moved out temporarily, but was back this morning, his place having sustained no damage.

   Although many persons had their homes burned, they were taken care of by neighbors or other residents of Chincoteague.

   Only one injury marked the night's fire fight.  Elmer Watson, a pilot, fell from the roof of his home and fractured his skull.  His condition is critical.

   Valuable assistance was given by the apparatus of the United States coast guard service.  The nearest station is on Assateague Island, two and one-half miles further out to sea.  From his lonely spot at the Assateague station the lookout on duty saw the flames and notified his commanding officer, Chief Petty Officer Henry M. Taylor.  Ordering a general alarm turned in to the other two stations, Taylor called out all the available men and got the fire apparatus in a boat.  Then they started to Chincoteague.  With wind and tide against them, it was hard rowing in the dark, the men being lighted only by the flames from the burning town.  All three detachments arrived simultaneously and did what they could to halt the fire.

   Chincoteague is the principal settlement on an island across the bay from Franklin City, the island being seven miles long and two and a half miles wide.  Of the 4000 inhabitants most of them live in the town."

The 1880 hand-pumper that was used in the 1920 fire.

    The Evening Journal newspaper of Wilmington, Delaware had, on Tuesday, 7 September, on page 16, the headline:  "CHINCOTEAGUE IS FIRE SWEPT  -  Half of Business Section Wiped Out And 17 Structures Destroyed  -  EMERGENCY FIRE APPARTUS FAILS  -  Chincoteague, Va.,  Sept. 7  -   With half of it's business section and three of its most imposing buildings destroyed by fire, which started early Sunday morning and burned 17 structures before it could be gotten under control, this town presents a desolate scene today.  It is the first fire the town has had since it was incorporated, approximately 50 years ago.

   The entire block on the south side of Main street, from Church street to the site of the Atlantic Hotel, which is practically all of the business section on that side of the street, is in ruins.

   The most costly building to fall prey to the flames was the Marine Bank Building, which was just being completed and had not yet been occupied.  This was a brick structure and so nearly destroyed that men are today pulling down its walls and chimneys.

   After the fire engine was got in working order it supplied enough water to get the fire under control and keep it from spreading.

   The damage is estimated at $85,000.  The Atlantic Hotel, one of the landmarks of the town, was about the last of the large buildings to be wrecked before the fire was got under control."

   Other newspapers reported that 2,500 residents were left homeless and families on the island were doubling and tripling up families in their homes.  Several other reports stated that more than half "of the wild ponies that roam on the island burned to death."

   Then came the shocking news that a 15-year-old boy had confessed to setting the fire for the owner of the ice cream shop, Louis N. Doughty.  Etman Cherricks stated that Doughty had offered him a payment of $10 cash to set the fire.  The owner had showed him where he kept oil and cleaning rags, and said he would leave the back door of the ice cream store unlocked.  Young Cherricks stated he watched Doughty leave the shop at midnight, and around 12:30 went into the store and spread the flammable oil on most of the floor, then lit a match to a pile of rags, and left.  He also said that Louis Doughty had not paid him afterwards.  It was claimed that Doughty had wanted the fire set so he could receive a $700 insurance payment for his lost equipment.  The teen also was upset that the fire had spread; he followed the directions given him by Doughty and was horrified by the destruction that occurred.

   Both Cherricks and Doughty were arrested and arraigned for starting the fire; Cherricks for striking the match and Doughty for employing him to do so.  Both were placed in the Accomack County jail.  Doughty was able to come up with $5,000 bail; Etman Cherricks and his family could not do so, being day-to-day oystermen.  (That was Etman's occupation in the Census of 1920, at age 15, like his father.)  

   Doughty had two trials; one on December 8 for "willful burning of a stock of goods with intent to recover the insurance," and again on 7 April 1921 for burning the building.  He was acquitted at both trials; but most of the islanders remained convinced that he was guilty as charged.

    Other than the statement in a paper on 21 September that Etman Cherricks could not make bail and would be staying in the Accomack County jail until the next grand jury met on October 19, I have been unable to find mention of him regarding the fire.  I know the grand jury decided to indict Etman for his part in the fire; but I do not know if he was acquitted, or if he served a sentence of any kind for his part in the September 1920 fire on Chincoteague.  I do know that he got married in October 1924, and that he and his wife raised four children on the island.  And he was always employed as a waterman or oysterman for the rest of his life.

   In meetings of the Chincoteague Town Council after the fire, it was decided they would purchase 500 feet of new fire hose, and that they would pay A. J. Hill $100 per year to keep his "monitor and pump in condition and afloat for fighting purposes" in the Chincoteague Channel.  It was also decided that the layout of Main Street would be straightened, so it would no longer have odd crooks and angles between Church and Mumford Streets.  The buildings on Main Street were built back in brick and stone, and no residences were there.  The owners who lost houses either rebuilt elsewhere, or purchased other pre-existing homes.