Disastrous Fires in Rutherford Area, Nov. 30, 1922

Disastrous Fire at Chimney Rock. . . Post Office and Garage Destroyed—Polly Hunt Residence Burned at Rutherford—Child Badly Burned at Shingle Hollow

Rutherford, Nov. 28—News has just reached here of the destruction by fire Tuesday morning about 3 o’clock of the post office at Chimney Rock, including the dwelling house, store and goods, café, all the property of S.L. Huntsinger, also W.L. Cunningham’s garage and several automobiles. Mr. Huntsinger had been suffering from toothache and was awake and hearing the roaring at first thought it was an automobile, but on looking out the window discovered the fire which seemed to have originated at one corner of the store, away from chimneys and flues. There was no insurance and the loss falls heavily on both of these men.

-=-

Polly Hunt House Burned

The Aunt Polly Hunt house, near the Southern Station, was burned Sunday morning about 3 o’clock. Mary Hall, an aged woman, lived there alone and was awakened by the smoke. She hastened from the house, but remembering that under her pillow as $15, all the money she possessed, she re-entered the house in an effort to safe it, but before she could reach its hiding place she was driven out by the heat, her hair being singed as she escaped. With the thermometer near to zero, and the wind coming from snow on the mountains this poor woman, barefoot and clad in her sleeping garments, after wasthing her earthly possessions go up in flames, walked alone about a fourth of a mile to the nearest neighbors, Mrs. Scarcy, who took her in and ministered unto her.

-=-

Child Badly Burned

The five year old child of Mr. Frady at Shingle Hollow was badly burned Sunday, its clothing having caught from an open fire. Drs. Twitty and Schenck dressed the burns and left the patient with fair chances of recovery.

-=-

First Snow Falls

The first snow of the season fell on Monday evening. But for the fact that it was preceded by a heavy rain which thoroughly soaked the ground, there would have been a mantle of white over every thing but the snow melted almost as fast as it fell.

From the front page of The Forest City Courier, Nov. 30, 1922. Thanksgiving was celebrated on Nov. 30 in North Carolina in 1922.