As schoolchildren, we all
learned about the values of fire
safety. We practiced fire drills in
our schools and were encouraged
to do the same at home, as well
as check the smoke detectors. It
was all done in a serious manner,
of course, but as adults we
can admit it: sometimes those fire
drills at school were also chances
to socialize _ when the teachers
weren’t looking.
Fire is no laughing matter; one
can just ask the descendants of the
Morgan family, owners of today’s
Emmons Farms, where a major fire
broke out 70 years ago this past May.
Nearly every year since, the residents
of this apartment community
hold a fire drill to commemorate a
calamity, usually in the late summer.
The message is fire safety and prevention,
but it is also a chance for the
residents and owners to socialize.
It was Thursday, May 11, 1939,
when fire destroyed two homes,
three large barns, several smaller
structures and a garage in the hamlet
of Emmons that afternoon. At that
time, Emmons Farms was the estate
of Mrs. Kendall E. Morgan of Emmons
and Chicago, Ill. It is currently
co-owned by the Haupt and two other
families. The farm primarily raised
chickens at the time, but also had
hop growing and lumber harvesting
in its history. It became a residential
community in 1964.
The blaze also swept the nearby
homes owned by Mr. and Mrs. Samuel
Murphy of Emmons and Mrs.
Francis Atwood of Cooperstown.
“Sparks added to the peril,” reported
The Oneonta Star, “threatening
to ignite other residences,
including the Morgan mansion.”
High winds didn’t help the matter.
Oneonta firemen were assisted
by volunteers from the Schenevus
and Cooperstown departments, 40
enrollees of the Civilian Conservation
Corps camp at Gilbert Lake and
a crew of state conservation workers.
Farmhands saved 10 cows, six
calves and more than 200 chickens,
but 300 laying hens were lost. Two
horses were in the field when the
fire started. In all, damage exceeded
$75,000 in the Emmons hamlet.
George Sprague, employed by
Mrs. Morgan, discovered the fire at
about 2:15 p.m.
“I was working in the garden
and heard a muffled sound,”
Sprague said, “and when I turned
around, the upper part of the
cow barn was ablaze.” The stone
foundation of the barn is still very
visible on the grounds these days.
Walter and Karl Haupt, descendants
of the Morgans and co-owners
of today’s Emmons Farms,
were recently in Emmons for the
nearly annual fire drill. The two
grew up for a few years in what is
today’s Farmhouse Restaurant.
All these years later, there has
never been a conclusion as to the
cause of the fire.
“A number of theories have
been put forward,” Walter Haupt
said. “Spontaneous combustion
of damp hay is one, or a jobless
vagrant might have caused it, as at
the time there had been a series of
set fires.” An arsonist was eventually
caught elsewhere but never
admitted to this fire. “The third is
a pyromaniac firefighter who set it
so he could help put the fire out.”
Since then, the owners have
been interested in fire protection.
While today they’d immediately
call 911, years ago a series
of fire hydrants were installed on
the grounds and a horse-drawn
firefighting apparatus was purchased.
Each year, that apparatus
is brought out for a fire drill. As
Emmons Farms became residential,
the event turned into a social
event, as well as a reminder as to
what to do if a fire broke out.
While growing up here, Karl
Haupt had a special role during
the annual event.
“I was considered the fire chief
for awhile because I saved one of
the buildings,” he said. Apparently,
the fire had started in a garbage
can, and he knew by the smell of it
when he woke one morning. Quick
reaction and knowing what to do
prevented another calamity.
The central event in the annual
drill is the ringing of the fire bell on
the grounds. One of the Haupt family
ancestors was an engineer with
the Pennsylvania Railroad. The bell
came from one of the old steam locomotives
that were no longer in use.
This weekend, promoting home
ownership was big in Oneonta in
the early 1920s.
___
City Historian Mark Simonson’s
column appears twice weekly. On Saturdays,
his column focuses on the area
during the Depression and before. His
Monday columns address local history
after the Depression. If you have feedback
or ideas about the column, write
to him at The Daily Star, or e-mail him
at simmark@stny.rr.com. His website
is www.oneontahistorian.com.
