April 14, 1927

On this date in Morgantown history a fire destroyed a block of High Street businesses and apartments. The fire grew so large that a seven story theater, The Strand Theatre, actually collapsed onto High Street and in doing so demolished nearby buildings. Four fire departments from as far away as Fairmont and Uniontown responded.

While no lives were lost, the fire did cause more than $2,000,000 in damage (in 1927 dollars) destroying the block between Fayette Street and Wall Street.. Among this were 50 pianos, although several ‘talking machines’ were rescued from the flames.

The fire was so intense that it melted windows across the street and set-off ammunition in a hardware store that was also destroyed by the fire.

While there are considerable stories to be told in relation to this fire, it is relevant to MUB because it reinforced the importance of adequate fire protection. Here is a quote from Morgantown’s The New Dominion on April 15, 1927—

“Despite the heavy demand on the water lines, with more than a dozen streams pulling at one time, the pressure of the water was generally good and none of the pumpers were brought into play.”

In fact, after the fire, a surge of hydrant installations occurred in Morgantown. Below is a list of work orders related to hydrant installations for 1928.

You can view photos of the fire via the West Virginia & Regional History Center by clicking here. Here is a video on the fire from the Morgantown Public Library and Aull Center.


Below left: The moment the Strand Theatre collapsed onto High Street.

Below Right: A list of work orders from 1928 showing fire hydrant installations throughout Morgantown.