Chicago&rsquo\;s Deadliest Fire: \;The
Iroquois Theater Disaster of December 30\, 1903
Presented by Jeff St
ern &\; the Highland Park Historical Society.
More than residen ts of other American cities\, Chicagoans learn early in life about the con flagration that destroyed most of the core and surrounding parts of the fa st-growing city in October of 1871\, leading to the establishment of Fire Prevention Week 51 years later\, and commemorated in many parts of the cou ntry ever since. All but forgotten is the night of horror at the dawn of t he 20th Century in the just-opened\, lavish Iroquois Theater that brought ghastly deaths &ndash\; in barely half an hour &ndash\; to more that twice the number of those who perished in the fire of 1871. The 2003 book entit led Tinder Box\, by Anthony P. Hatch\, is the basis for this presentation.
\nJeff Stern is a member of the Board of the Fire Museum of Greater Chicago. He has never been a Chicago firefighter\, but has been involved with the Fire Department for over 75 years. Whether it was the early motor ized equipment that was still in service when he was growing up or some ot her aspect of the fire service that attracted his interest\, he&rsquo\;s n ot sure\, but he managed to visit all 141 of the fire houses that were the n in service before he turned 13\, and was able to run with some of the bu siest squads and chiefs.
\nAdmission is free. For further informatio n or a Zoom link\, please contact the Highland Park Historical Society: 84 7.432.7090 or archives@highlandparkhistory.org. This is a hybrid program w ith live presentation at the Highland Park Public Library or via Zoom.
\nhttps://hplibrary.libnet.info/event/9868845 URL;VALUE=URI:https://hplibrary.libnet.info/event/9868845 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR