By Mike Davis

Assistant Executive Director

Bridgton Historical Society

On Monday, April 7, 1873, at seven o’clock in the morning, a raging fire tore through downtown Bridgton, and in three hours had leveled five buildings standing along the business corridor from Bacon Street to Tannery Bridge. Up in smoke went the general store of R.A. Cleaves, Isiah Gore’s livery stable, the photographic studio of J.L. Merrill, E.E. Wilder’s Harness Shop, Jonathan Fogg’s blacksmith shop, and the printing rooms of Major Henry Shorey, founder of the Bridgton News.  

Nothing could stop the advancing flames, despite desperate attempts to save each burning building with bucket brigades the flames marched up the block, driven by a strong wind. The wet blankets thrown upon neighboring buildings did little to stay the advance, and in the space of three hours the better part of Bridgton’s downtown block was reduced to ash. In a supreme irony, Bridgton’s volunteer fire department had ordered a steam-powered fire engine months before, which due to delays would finally arrive here just days after the fire.  

At this point in our history, The News was still establishing itself. Not yet into its fourth year of operation, while well liked it was not yet a local institution, with the print shop and presses newly destroyed folks openly wondered if this fire would bring an end to the publication of the local newspaper, just as a similar fire had done a decade earlier; when in 1864 the printing offices of the Bridgton Sentinel had burned, despite the bold assurances of its young firebrand editor David Hale, the Sentinel never printed another issue. 

Might history be about to repeat itself?

(Editor’s note: While The News has suspended its print/digital editions due to Covid-19, news items are being posted daily on the website, bridgton.com. Once the pandemic ends, The News plans to return to regular print/digital editions — WER).

This talk continued all through the week, and the questions of our people were answered by a triumphant broadside which appeared in local shops Friday morning. Printed on a single sheet of letter paper, using a borrowed press from Shorey’s friends in Norway, the headline read: “Though Somewhat Scorched, ‘The News’ still survives!” We take you now to the single, folded sheet which The News produced as the issue of April 11, 1873.

“Destructive Fire in Bridgton!

A Business Row of Five Buildings in the Business Portion of the Village Entirely Destroyed.  Estimated Loss, Thirteen Thousand Dollars!

We make no apology for the contracted form in which we appear before our readers this week. The explanation will be found in the report of the destructive conflagration of Monday evening, to be found in another column. Our Printing Rooms were entirely destroyed, together with the press upon which the News is usually printed. Most of the printing material was hurriedly removed from the burning building, and a large portion of the type is, technically, badly ‘pied’ and is such a demoralized condition that it is hardly worth assorting, while much of our office furniture, such as desks, standing galleys, etc., was destroyed. We are compelled, therefore, to work under disadvantages to an extent which can only be appreciated by those who are acquainted with the mysteries of the ‘art preservative.’ However, we have no disposition to yield to the pressure of adverse circumstances, but shall endeavor to keep the machine in motion. It may be several weeks before we can obtain a new press for newspaper work, and, in the meantime, we shall be compelled to send our forms to Portland or elsewhere to be printed. The News will be issued with regularity, as heretofore, and we are in condition to attend to all orders for job printing with which we may be favored. In a few weeks, with a new and improved cylinder press, new type, etc… – and, possibly, new printing rooms – we hope to be in better condition to serve our patrons than ever before.

The losses, as nearly as we are able to state them, are as follows…

H.A. Shorey’s Printing Rooms

This building was purchased and fitted up by the publisher of the News about a year ago, at a cost of fifteen hundred dollars. The upper story was used as the printing office, while on the first floor was the counting room, and adjoining a store of which D.C. Saunders had recently taken the lease as a tailoring establishment – which, by the way, had been thoroughly refitted within the past two weeks. We doubt if there was, in the State, a more conveniently arranged country printing office than this. There was an insurance of $800 on the building, and on the presses and printing material $1,200. Though much of the printing material was saved, a portion of it is in a condition but little better than worthless, some of the standing matter being scraped into boxes where it now remains in a confused mess. The frame of a new No. 5 Washington Hand Press was destroyed, together with imposing stones, stands, standing galleys, a small quantity of fine job ink, etc. The loss of the stock cannot fall short of eight hundred dollars.”

I have chosen to print this article for two reasons; first, to commemorate the week in which The News burned, but second, because I see certain parallels in this tale to that of our present situation. Reading this week’s story, I see clear evidence of the indomitable spirit with which Major Shorey founded The Bridgton News, and the duty he felt was his to maintain in the continuance of local reporting. Not even the destruction of nearly his entire operation could stop him, and while in the weeks after the fire, The News did appear in a form somewhat different to its usual arrangement, he never stopped reporting and he never missed an issue.  

It is in this same spirit that we now work today, in this our 150th year.

Due to the pressures of the present pandemic, we now find ourselves unable to present our community with the weekly printed edition. Instead, we must now rely on our website (bridgton.com) to carry these words to you until such time as we can resume printing.  

This crisis is serious, as serious as the Fire of ’73 was, and for a time we must apologize for the different form which the Bridgton News now takes, but just like the days of Major Shorey’s single sheet broadsides, be assured of two things. First and foremost, The News will continue – we will not fall as the Sentinel did.  But second, and just as important a distinction to make, this change is but temporary; we will in time return again to our usual printed style.  

If I may tweak Major Shorey’s pronouncement to better fit our times, I would say to all of you; “Though Now in Quarantine, the News Still Survives!”

Be safe out there!  

Till next time! 

Mike Davis of Bridgton is Bridgton Historical Society’s assistant executive director.