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<p>A horse was the only casualty in a fire that destroyed 14 buildings on the East side of Public Square in the borough of Wilkesbarre in 1855.</p><p>The fire broke out during the early morning hours of May 26, 1855, inside the stable of the Saddle and Harness Manufacturer owned by William W. Loomis, the weekly Luzerne Union newspaper reported May 30, 1855.</p><p>The newspaper reported the blaze started either by cigar ash on straw or was intentionally set.</p><p>&#8220;On Saturday morning, between the hours of three and four o&#8217;clock, the citizens of our borough were alarmed by the appalling cry of the most disastrous fire that has ever occurred in this vicinity. On proceeding to the scene of danger, the fire was found in the rear of the building occupied by Wm W. Loomis,&#8221; the Luzerne Union reported.</p><p>Three horse-drawn wagon pumps, called the Triton, Nep and Reliance, each equipped with 1,000 feet of leather hose, were manned with great speed in an effort to extinguish the blaze but the flames encased the wood buildings.</p><p>&#8220;How the fire originated is yet a mystery. The prevailing impression is, that some person may have accidentally dropped a spark from a lighted cigar or pipe on some stray and other combustible matter which lay close to the rear of the buildings,&#8221; the newspaper reported.</p><p>Loomis&#8217; stable was destroyed along with two homes, two hotels, a doctor&#8217;s office, and nine other buildings causing an estimated $50,000 in damages.</p><p>&#8220;The whole number of buildings destroyed including dwelling houses, stores, shops and offices is fourteen,&#8221; the newspaper reported.</p><p>Two seven-story office buildings anchor the East Side of Public Square today.</p><p>The 1855 fire was the second blaze to destroy buildings on the East side of Public Square. A blaze in 1830 destroyed several wood buildings, including the White Swan Hotel, which was rebuilt in 1831 and later purchased by Samuel H. Puterbaugh.</p><p>After the 1855 fire, Puterbaugh rebuilt the hotel and renamed it The Exchange Hotel.</p><p>&#8220;Mayor S. H. Puterbaugh has the pleasure of announcing to his friends and the public in general, that he has for the second time rebuilt the White Swan Hotel on the site of the ruins of their consumed predecessors,&#8221; the Luzerne Union reported Jan. 30, 1856.</p><p>Puterbaugh rebuilt the hotel using brick, describing his building with having modern improvements, sleeping apartments and a bar with an extensive supply of liquor and cigars. The hotel had four floors and each floor had wood porches.</p><p>A horse stable, called McDonald&#8217;s Livery Stable, was built in the rear of the Exchange Hotel were the public could rent a horse and/or carriage.</p><p>&#8220;If you want to hire a horse or carriage go to the above stable in the rear of the Exchange Hotel and leave your order several days before you need it, so as to make sure of one, for there is always a rush for horses and carriages,&#8221; the Sunday News newspaper reported June 15, 1884.</p><p>The Exchange Hotel, one of several around downtown, advertised rooms for anyone attending court sessions at the Luzerne County Courthouse that stood in the middle of Public Square.</p><p>Puterbaugh died in 1877 and his hotel was owned by several people until it closed in 1905.</p><p>The Exchange Hotel was demolished in 1913 to make way for the Fort Durkee Hotel, consisting of ball rooms, a tavern, barbershop and 120 rooms.</p><p>Nearly 123 years after the 1855 blaze, firefighters returned to fight a fire on Feb. 8, 1978, when insulation burned near the eaves of the Fort Durkee Hotel, the Evening News newspaper reported the same day.</p><p>Fort Durkee and other buildings on the East side of Public Square were vacant and razed in 1978 by the Wilkes-Barre Redevelopment Authority.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">The Exchange Hotel on Public Square, Wilkes-Barre, sometime in the 1870s. Facebook photo from Wilkes-Barre City History page. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_East-Side-Public-Square-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>The Exchange Hotel on Public Square, Wilkes-Barre, sometime in the 1870s. Facebook photo from Wilkes-Barre City History page. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_East-Side-Public-Square-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">East side of Public Square, Wilkes-Barre, sometime in the 1870s. Facebook photo from Wilkes-Barre City History page. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_East-Side-Public-Square-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>East side of Public Square, Wilkes-Barre, sometime in the 1870s. Facebook photo from Wilkes-Barre City History page. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Ed Lewis</p><p>elewis@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div>

Look Back: 1855 fire destroyed East side of Public Square