Kenyon Military Academy Fire of 1906
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Kenyon Military Academy Fire of 1906
The Kenyon Military Academy Fire of 1906 was a tragic event that claimed the buildings that housed the Academy and the lives of three cadets. Milnor Hall, which had burned down once before in 1889, and Delano Hall served to house various programs tied to the Gambier community, but most notably the Kenyon Military Academy from 1887 to the date of its destruction. The disastrous fire, which destroyed both halls, occurred on the morning of February 24, 1906. The devastation of Milnor and Delano Halls was a tragic loss that not only claimed the buildings and the lives of three cadets, but it also led to the closing of the academy.
Facts of the Fire
Although the exact origin of the fire remains a mystery, there is a significant amount known of the timeline concerning the fire. At 3:00A.M., on February 24, 1906, Mr. Williams, who was one of the regents, came into and inspected the buildings. After finding everything to be normal Williams returned to bed. Shortly after 3:00A.M., the pastry chef rose to set some bread, after which she went to bed, with still no signs of the fire. At 4:30A.M., the fire was first discovered by one of the cadets, with the two upper halls of Delano filled with flames. On these halls were the apartments of sleeping cadets, however only the halls were on fire, with very little smoke reported to have entered the rooms. For waking cadets, exiting the building by route of the halls was shut off by the flames. This left the fire escapes at the windows in the majority of the rooms, as the primary escape route for most cadets. However, several cadets were forced to jump from their windows, with two cadets sustaining severe injuries.
The fire consumed both buildings with remarkable speed, making it practically impossible for anything to be saved. Despite the large number of people who offered their services, within an hour and a half of its discovery, nothing was left standing except the bare walls. The only section of the buildings that was saved from the fire was the Annex, which was later torn down with the remains portions of the buildings. The fire had burned to such an extreme heat that in some places the mortar between the bricks had completely disintegrated.
Injuries and Loss of Life
In the course of the fire the lives of three cadets were claimed, with several other cadets being badly injured. The remains of the three cadets, who were assumed to have not awakened, were discovered the following day when many of the students from the college excavated the ruins. The three cadets lost as a result of the fire were, James J. Fuller, Winfield S. Kunkle and J. Everett Henderson. On the morning of February 26th funeral services were held for the cadets in the college chapel. All of the cadets were able to attend the services and accompanied the remains to the train station, where they sent home for burial.
Two other cadets were badly injured as a result of jumping from the burning buildings. The cadets, Henry C. Barnes and Lennox W. Baker, were in rooms that were without fire escapes at the windows and were injured jumping from their windows. It was reported that Barnes, although seriously injured, would recover, but that Baker’s would be left permanently impaired from the jump. One other cadet by the name of Nicholson was the only individual considered to have been dangerously burned.
After the Fire
With the loss of the buildings that housed the Academy, much of the Gambier community reached out to aid the stranded cadets. Many of the cadets who only escaped with their nightclothes, were supplied with clothing by the Bexley and College students. They were also provided living arrangements in the various other institutions of the town. The house of Mr. Wyant, was converted into a hospital and was tended by Drs. Russell, Workman and Welker. The estimated damage caused by the fire was approximately $65,000, of which $35,000 was covered by insurance. In addition, almost all of the personal property of those residing in the buildings was lost in the fire. Although the Regents of the academy first aimed to rebuild the school by following autumn, this was later found to be impossible, resulting in the Kenyon Military Academy closing its doors in 1907.
Resources in the Kenyon College Archives
- Smythe, George Franklin. Kenyon College: Its First Century. Gambier, Ohio: Kenyon College, 2001. Original edition: New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press for Kenyon College, 1924. [ISBN 0-9623250-4-X / Find in Kenyon's Library]
- Kenyon Military Academy-- collected materials
