Patsy Clark Mansion, Spokane Washington
Part the First, Introduction -- 1889 The Great Spokane Fire
Before we get to the mansion, we need to get some background first. What happened which prompted Clark to rebuild his home?
You have all heard of the Great Fire of Chicago, right? You know, the one where the cow kicked over the lantern causing a fire that burned down most of the city? Well, would you believe that Spokane also had one such fire. Not sure that a cow was involved here, but I can tell you a story about one man's sequelae from that cataclysmic event.
Video from Spokane Historical website
narrated and edited by Anna Harbine
Patsy Clark was apparently unfazed by the loss of his original mansion in that fire. He set out to build another one, one that was even more of a mansion -- more glorious; more elaborate. He hired famous architect Kirtland Kelsey Cutter (This is the man who actually rebuilt most of the burnt out homes and buildings in Spokane (HauntedHouses.com, 2004-2019). Clark gave Cutter instructions to spare no expense, to use nothing but the best materials to make this "the most luxurious mansion ever" (Boggs, 2004), (Prager, 2006).
This fabulous mansion is at 2208 West Second Avenue in the Browne's Addition of Spokane. I don't have any idea what the original house was like. If you know, contact me using the form on the right, okay? Thanks.
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A building in the Spokane Fire Spokane Historical Anna Harbine |
The exact date of completion is a bit confusing. The City of Spokane placed the mansion on the Spokane Register of Historical Places, recording the completion date of the construction as 1897 (City of Spokane, 2005), while the Patsy Clark Mansion website itself claims completion was in 1889. Regardles of when it was completed, it is said the 12,000 square foot home was the talk of the town (Patsy Clark Mansion, n.d.).
Great Spokane Fire of 1889
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Building in Flames Spokesman-Review, 2017 |
Headlines
The news of the Great Fire of Spokane came on the heels of the Great Fire of Seattle, and the Great Fire of Ellensburg the same year. Spokane was known at the time as Spokane Falls, changing it’s name to simply Spokane later. And Washington was not yet a state, but was a Territory. The headlines across the area read: The city of Spokane Falls, in Washington Territory, is burned to the ground by a fire which started last night. The disaster greater than Seattle’s. Spokane Falls Holocaust! Every Business Block Destroyed, excepting one. Property of the Value of $15,000,000 consumed. Many Lives Lost – one Man Literally Roasted Alive! The Magnificent City a Mass of Ruins – Business Section of the Town Entirely Destroyed – Millions of Dollars’ Worth of Property Swept Away – A Number of Lives Reported Lost.
Background
The population of Spokane at the time was 20,000 people (The Leavenworth Weekly Times, 1889) . The summer had been uncommonly
hot, and wildfire smoke from elsewhere in the region lay heavily on Spokane (Berger & Hegg, 2019) .
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The Spokane Chronicle re-opens, using a hand press Camporeale, 2017 |
Start of the Fire
According to the last communication over the Western Union
wires, the fire started at 6:45 pm, in the roof of a wood-frame lodging house
on Railroad avenue (The Leavenworth Weekly Times, 1889) . The Great Falls Montana newspaper indicates
it “spread rapidly under the influence of a brisk wind, which increased in
force every hour” (The Great Falls Leader, 1889) . Other news accounts write that there was a dead
calm and that the spectators thought the firemen would extinguish the fire
quickly. Nobody is sure exactly how the
fire started, and there are three theories.
First, prostitute Irish Kate had a fight with a client in her room, tripping
against her kerosene lamp, causing the fire when it fell over. A second theory is it started from a spark emitted
while a train passed by the area. Or it
could have been started while Bill Wolfe, owner of Wolfe’s Lunchroom and
Lodgings was cooking pork chops when a greasy towel ignited, traveled up the
stairs to the roof. It most definitely did
start at this building, though (Discovery School, 2011) .
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"All the banks saved the money in the vaults and some resumed business [in the] morning in the very brick building left" Northwest Museum 2017 |
Water Works
The Holly System, which used hydrolics or steam to turn the turbines providing about 9 million gallons of water per day, was defective at the critical point in the fire. Everyone blamed the Superintendant who was away, and his incompetent man left in charge. Later investigation showed that Hose #2 was defective, couldn't handle the pressure (Discovery School, 2011).
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American Society of Mechanical Engineers, n.d. |
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1889 Spokane Fire may have been caused by fire bugs? The Topeka Daily Capital, 1889 |
Conflagration
The fire started, got out of
control, and jumped to other buildings rather quickly. The heat generated by the
massive fire created it’s own wind, and within 30 minutes the entrie block was
gone (The Wichita Beacon, 1889) . That was a
massive fire, generating so much heat.
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Anna Harbine Spokane Historical |
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(Sanborn Map Company, 1889) |
Rapidity of the fire
The fire spread so very rapidly, there had to be people who
were cut off from escape before they even knew they were in danger. Two hours into the fire, about 9pm, 27 blocks
were burned down (Discovery School, 2011) . By 10pm, three hours after the fire started, it was done. The
entire business section was destroyed. Thirty-two
blocks were demolished … saving the lumber mill, the Crescent Dry Goods Store
(which was scheduled to open the next day) and the Centenial Flour Mill which had
opened only 36 hours earlier.
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Anna Harbine Spokane Historical |
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Anna Harbine Spokane Historical |
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Anna Harbine Spokane Historical |
(Berger & Hegg, 2019)
Browning, 2015
King, 2017
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Resources:
Berger, K., & Hegg, S. (2019, September 9). How Washington's 'summer of fire' nearly destroyed Seattle, Spokane and Ellensburg. Retrieved January 2020, from Crosscut Focus: https://crosscut.com/2019/09/how-washingtons-summer-fire-nearly-destroyed-seattle-spokane-and-ellensburg
Boggs, A. (2004, July 15). Patsy Clark's looks like a million. Retrieved December 13, 2019, from SpokesmanReview.com: https://web.archive.org/web/20071029212221/http://www.spokesmanreview.com/tools/story_pf.asp?ID=15707
Browning, J. (2015, January 14). The Great Spokane Fire of 1889. Retrieved January 2020, from Youtube -- Jarrett Browning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNEekSZ6BAA
Camporeale, L. (2017, September 6). #GreatFire1889. (L. Camporeale, Editor) Retrieved January 2020, from The Local History: http://thelocalhistory.com/stories/greatfire1889/
City - County of Spokane Historic Preservation Office. (no date). The 1890s: A Burgeoning City. Retrieved January 2020, from Historic Spokane: http://www.historicspokane.org/riverfront-park-history-1890
City of Spokane. (2005, December 2). Patsy Clark Mansion. Retrieved December 13, 2019, from Historic Preservation Department: https://web.archive.org/web/20060709175611/http://www.historicspokane.org/SpokaneRegister/patsyclark.htm
Discovery School. (2011, July 29). The Great Spokane Fire - 1889. Retrieved December 2020, from Spokane History Timeline: http://discoveryrobots.org/spokanehistory/greatfire.html
Libby, G. (1966). Remembering the Fire audio. Washington State Digital Archives. (A. Harbine, Editor) Spokane, Washington: Voices of the Pioneers Collection. Retrieved January 2020, from https://spokanehistorical.org/files/show/3614
Hart, M. (2012, May 7). Birdsill Holly, Jr. Retrieved January 2020, from The American Society of Mechanical Engineers: https://www.asme.org/topics-resources/content/birdsill-holly-jr
HauntedHouses.com. (2004-2019). Patsy Clark Mansion – HauntedHouses.com. Retrieved December 13, 2019, from HauntedHouses.com: https://ghost.hauntedhouses.com/washington_spokane_patsy_clark_mansion#
King, C. (2017, December 15). Chuck King's Guide to Spokane History - Ep2 The Crescent: "A Mural of Faces and Memories". Retrieved January 2020, from Youtube -- Nostalgia Magazine: https://youtu.be/a_PJ1CbfKdQ
Meekhof, M. (2017, December 6). “Meet Me Under the Clock” at the Crescent Department Store. Retrieved January 2020, from Nostalgia: http://www.nostalgiamagazine.net/2017/12/06/meet-me-under-the-clock-at-the-crescent-department-store/
Northwest Museum. (2017, August 5). #GreatFire1889 Live Tweet. Retrieved January 2020, from Twitter: https://twitter.com/NorthwestMuseum/status/893905696990875650
HauntedHouses.com. (2004-2019). Patsy Clark Mansion – HauntedHouses.com. Retrieved December 13, 2019, from HauntedHouses.com: https://ghost.hauntedhouses.com/washington_spokane_patsy_clark_mansion#
Prager, M. (2006, November 10). Historic Patsy Clark’s restored. Retrieved December 13, 2019, from The Spokesman-Review: https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2006/nov/10/historic-patsy-clarks-restored/
Sanborn Map Company. (1889, February). Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Spokane, Spokane County, Washington. Retrieved January 2020, from Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4284sm.g4284sm_g093311889/?r=-0.885,0,2.775,1.186,0
Spokesman-Review. (2017, 08 3). Building In Flames. Retrieved January 2020, from Spokesman-Review: https://media.spokesman.com/photos/2017/08/03/BuildingInFlames_t1200.jpg?298603a24e8d51915fce203907ff2746e482a5a6
Spracklen, J. (no date). Rising from the Ashes. Retrieved January 2020, from goSpokane: http://www.gospokanemagazine.com/the-great-fire.html
Stierer, D. (2020). Birdsill Holly. Retrieved January 2020, from Lockport Cave and Underground Boat Ride: https://lockportcave.com/birdsill-holly/
Stierer, D. (2020). The Holly Manufacturing Company 1858-1916. Retrieved January 2020, from Lockport Cave & Underground Boat Ride: https://lockportcave.com/holly-manufacturing/
The Garnett Republican-Plaindealer. (1889, August 9). 1889 Spokane Fire, Thirty Million. Retrieved December 2019, from The Garnett Republican-Plaindealer: newspapers.com
The Great Falls Leader. (1889, August 06). 1889 Spokane Fire, Spokane Falls Holocaust. Retrieved December 2019, from The Great Falls Leader: newspapers.com
The Leavenworth Weekly Times. (1889, August 8). 1889 Spokane Fire, Wiped Out. Retrieved December 2019, from The Leavenworth Weekly Times: newspapers.com
The Topeka Daily Capital. (1889, August 7). 1889 Spokane Fire, August 7. Retrieved December 2019, from Newspapers.com: newspapers.com
The Wichita Beacon. (1889, August 6). 1889 Spokane Fire. The Wichita Beacon. Wichita, Kansas. Retrieved December 2019, from newspapers.com
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American Society of Mechanical Engineers. (n.d.). #121
Holly Fire Protection and Water System. Retrieved January 2020, from The
American Society of Mechanical Engineers:
https://www.asme.org/about-asme/engineering-history/landmarks/121-holly-fire-protection-and-water-system
Arksey, L. (2006, March 20). Great Spokane Fire
destroys downtown Spokane Falls on August 4, 1889. Retrieved January 2020,
from History Link: https://www.historylink.org/File/7696
Berger, K., & Hegg, S. (2019, September 9). How Washington's 'summer of fire' nearly destroyed Seattle, Spokane and Ellensburg. Retrieved January 2020, from Crosscut Focus: https://crosscut.com/2019/09/how-washingtons-summer-fire-nearly-destroyed-seattle-spokane-and-ellensburg
Boggs, A. (2004, July 15). Patsy Clark's looks like a million. Retrieved December 13, 2019, from SpokesmanReview.com: https://web.archive.org/web/20071029212221/http://www.spokesmanreview.com/tools/story_pf.asp?ID=15707
Browning, J. (2015, January 14). The Great Spokane Fire of 1889. Retrieved January 2020, from Youtube -- Jarrett Browning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNEekSZ6BAA
Camporeale, L. (2017, September 6). #GreatFire1889. (L. Camporeale, Editor) Retrieved January 2020, from The Local History: http://thelocalhistory.com/stories/greatfire1889/
City - County of Spokane Historic Preservation Office. (no date). The 1890s: A Burgeoning City. Retrieved January 2020, from Historic Spokane: http://www.historicspokane.org/riverfront-park-history-1890
City of Spokane. (2005, December 2). Patsy Clark Mansion. Retrieved December 13, 2019, from Historic Preservation Department: https://web.archive.org/web/20060709175611/http://www.historicspokane.org/SpokaneRegister/patsyclark.htm
Discovery School. (2011, July 29). The Great Spokane Fire - 1889. Retrieved December 2020, from Spokane History Timeline: http://discoveryrobots.org/spokanehistory/greatfire.html
Libby, G. (1966). Remembering the Fire audio. Washington State Digital Archives. (A. Harbine, Editor) Spokane, Washington: Voices of the Pioneers Collection. Retrieved January 2020, from https://spokanehistorical.org/files/show/3614
Hart, M. (2012, May 7). Birdsill Holly, Jr. Retrieved January 2020, from The American Society of Mechanical Engineers: https://www.asme.org/topics-resources/content/birdsill-holly-jr
HauntedHouses.com. (2004-2019). Patsy Clark Mansion – HauntedHouses.com. Retrieved December 13, 2019, from HauntedHouses.com: https://ghost.hauntedhouses.com/washington_spokane_patsy_clark_mansion#
King, C. (2017, December 15). Chuck King's Guide to Spokane History - Ep2 The Crescent: "A Mural of Faces and Memories". Retrieved January 2020, from Youtube -- Nostalgia Magazine: https://youtu.be/a_PJ1CbfKdQ
Meekhof, M. (2017, December 6). “Meet Me Under the Clock” at the Crescent Department Store. Retrieved January 2020, from Nostalgia: http://www.nostalgiamagazine.net/2017/12/06/meet-me-under-the-clock-at-the-crescent-department-store/
Northwest Museum. (2017, August 5). #GreatFire1889 Live Tweet. Retrieved January 2020, from Twitter: https://twitter.com/NorthwestMuseum/status/893905696990875650
HauntedHouses.com. (2004-2019). Patsy Clark Mansion – HauntedHouses.com. Retrieved December 13, 2019, from HauntedHouses.com: https://ghost.hauntedhouses.com/washington_spokane_patsy_clark_mansion#
Prager, M. (2006, November 10). Historic Patsy Clark’s restored. Retrieved December 13, 2019, from The Spokesman-Review: https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2006/nov/10/historic-patsy-clarks-restored/
Sanborn Map Company. (1889, February). Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Spokane, Spokane County, Washington. Retrieved January 2020, from Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4284sm.g4284sm_g093311889/?r=-0.885,0,2.775,1.186,0
Spokesman-Review. (2017, 08 3). Building In Flames. Retrieved January 2020, from Spokesman-Review: https://media.spokesman.com/photos/2017/08/03/BuildingInFlames_t1200.jpg?298603a24e8d51915fce203907ff2746e482a5a6
Spracklen, J. (no date). Rising from the Ashes. Retrieved January 2020, from goSpokane: http://www.gospokanemagazine.com/the-great-fire.html
Stierer, D. (2020). Birdsill Holly. Retrieved January 2020, from Lockport Cave and Underground Boat Ride: https://lockportcave.com/birdsill-holly/
Stierer, D. (2020). The Holly Manufacturing Company 1858-1916. Retrieved January 2020, from Lockport Cave & Underground Boat Ride: https://lockportcave.com/holly-manufacturing/
The Garnett Republican-Plaindealer. (1889, August 9). 1889 Spokane Fire, Thirty Million. Retrieved December 2019, from The Garnett Republican-Plaindealer: newspapers.com
The Great Falls Leader. (1889, August 06). 1889 Spokane Fire, Spokane Falls Holocaust. Retrieved December 2019, from The Great Falls Leader: newspapers.com
The Leavenworth Weekly Times. (1889, August 8). 1889 Spokane Fire, Wiped Out. Retrieved December 2019, from The Leavenworth Weekly Times: newspapers.com
The Topeka Daily Capital. (1889, August 7). 1889 Spokane Fire, August 7. Retrieved December 2019, from Newspapers.com: newspapers.com
The Wichita Beacon. (1889, August 6). 1889 Spokane Fire. The Wichita Beacon. Wichita, Kansas. Retrieved December 2019, from newspapers.com
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