1876:
The Bennett House Remodelled (Remuddled)
5/25/1876 Bennett
House Remodeling
1880: The Bennett House Burned To Ground
See article on 1st Bennett
House Fire
See article on 2nd Bennett House Fire
It served Smethport visitors prior to the construction of the Rockwell (later the Imperial) and the Grand Central Hotels. It was destroyed in a series of two fires during 1880. |
Bennett House Accident
|
FIRE! FIRE!! FIRE!!! McKean County Miner 1880 (exact
date unknown)
About one o'clock Tuesday morning a fire broke out in the basement
of the Bennett House, at this place, which baffled all effort at control,
until a greater portion of that part of the house was badly charred,
entailing a loss of from three to four thousand dollars, which is
fully covered by insurance. Mr. Van Gorder, who has charge of
the house for General A. Hamar, was absent at Buffalo, Mrs. Van Gorder
first gave the alarm by notifying her son, who aroused the occupants
of the house, of whom there were luckily but few at the time.
Everybody looked old next day. |
1880: Second Bennett House Fire A BAD FIRE
SATURDAY MORNING'S
BLAZE--THE BENNETT HOUSE AND HASKILL'S STORE
Our people were again aroused by an alarm of fire about two o'clock
last Saturday morning. The Bennett House, which had passed through
the fiery ordeal but a few weeks previous, was again found to be on
fire. This time, however, the flames had such headway before being
discovered that all efforts to subdue them and save the building was
found useless, and in an incredible short space of time the house was
in ruins with all the furniture and contents. Mrs. Van Gorder
and her daughter Hattie were the only inmates of the house at the time
of the fire. They occupied the room on the second floor in the
southeast corner and were not appraised of the peril they were in until
the fire had gained great headway. They barely escaped with the
clothing on their backs. The house was being repaired from the
result of the former fire and was not open to guests. Mr. Van
Gorder and son and other daughter were absent at Bradford.
|