Trial by Fire

Trial by Fire (HM16DM)

Location: New Bedford, MA 02740 Bristol County
Buy Massachusetts State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 41° 38.076', W 70° 55.392'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 600 views
Inscription

New Bedford Whaling National Historic Park

— National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior —

Trial by Fire-During the early hours of January 18, 1977, gas leaked from a cracked main into the cellar of O'Malley's Tavern, located near where you are now standing. New Bedford had suffered two straight days of record-setting cold in an overall frigid winter. When thermostats clicked on that morning the gas exploded, leveling four buildings and shooting flames and debris throughout the area.

Lost were the three-story tavern, built about 1820, and the Macomber-Sylvia building next to it, which had just been restored and was to be sold that day. The explosion also blew up a building across Johnny Cake Hill and one on William Street, north of the whaling museum, and rocketed a four-ton I-beam and four firefighters across Union Street. Firefighters and gas company crews battled to contain the blaze for more than 12 hours, finally controlling he fire by dusk.

According to Peggi Medeiros, Waterfront Historic Area League (WHALE) Director of Education and Preservation Services, "At 6:45 the roof of the Sundial Building (to your right on the corner) caught fire. When the fire was finally out, most of the roof was gone and one wall was bowing out over North Water Street."

WHALE, having spent $41,000 to restore the now-lost Macomber-Sylvia building, convinced the city to rebuild the Sundial Building. WHALE raised funds to restore it and then donated the building to New Bedford Whaling Museum. Photos Courtesy WHALE.

Details
HM NumberHM16DM
Tags
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Saturday, October 4th, 2014 at 10:48pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)19T E 339813 N 4610994
Decimal Degrees41.63460000, -70.92320000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 41° 38.076', W 70° 55.392'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds41° 38' 4.56" N, 70° 55' 23.52" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)508, 774
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 79-85 Union St, New Bedford MA 02740, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. What year was the marker erected?
  9. Who or what organization placed the marker?
  10. This marker needs at least one picture.
  11. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  12. Is the marker in the median?