Gilded Age Fire Safety in the Thousand Islands

During the Gilded Age, the Thousand Islands emerged as a glittering summer retreat for America’s wealthiest families. Palatial riverfront “cottages,” grand hotels, and elaborate boathouses dotted the St. Lawrence River, affording leisure and permanence. Yet beneath the elegance lurked a constant threat: fire. In an era before modern building codes and professional fire departments, fire safety in the Thousand Islands was a daily concern shaped by geography, technology, and social class.

Most Gilded Age structures were built of wood, often richly paneled and finished, and heated by coal or wood-burning stoves. Open flames were everywhere—lamps, candles, fireplaces—and electrical wiring, when present at all, was primitive and unreliable. Add to this the isolation of many islands, reachable only by boat, and a small spark could quickly become catastrophic. If a fire broke out, help might be miles away across open water.

Wealthy homeowners responded with a mix of innovation and improvisation. Some estates installed early fire alarms or gravity-fed water systems, drawing directly from the river to supply hoses and standpipes. Stone towers, iron doors, and firebreak walls were incorporated into the designs of larger mansions, not only as architectural flourishes but as defensive measures. Boathouses often doubled as emergency response hubs, stocked with buckets, axes, and hand pumps.

Hotels and resorts faced even greater risks. With dozens—sometimes hundreds—of guests, managers enforced strict rules: no smoking outside designated areas, lamps extinguished at certain hours, and night watchmen tasked with patrolling hallways. Despite these precautions, devastating fires still occurred. Several grand hotels burned to the ground in a single night, their losses underscoring how fragile Gilded Age luxury could be.

For local communities and service staff, fire safety relied heavily on cooperation. Bucket brigades were common, with neighbors rushing by boat to assist when smoke was spotted. The river itself was both a hazard and a lifeline—isolating properties, yet providing the water that made firefighting possible at all.

Fire safety in the Gilded Age Thousand Islands was ultimately a blend of privilege and vulnerability. The same ambition that built opulent retreats also heightened their risk, reminding residents that even amid wealth and beauty, nature and chance could not be fully controlled.

ABOUT MARY'S MOMENT:
It’s 1912, and Thousand Island Park’s switchboard operator Mary Flynn is the community heroine saving dozens of homes from a terrible fire. Less than a month later, when another disastrous fire rages through the Park, Mary loses her memory as she risks her life in a neighbor's burning cottage.

Widowed fireman George Flannigan is enamored by the brave raven-haired lass and takes every opportunity to connect with Mary. But he has hidden griefs of his own that cause him great heartache. When George can’t stop the destructive Columbian Hotel fire from eradicating more than a hundred businesses and homes, he is distraught. Yet George’s greater concern is Mary. Will she remember their budding relationship or be forever lost to him?

ABOUT SUSAN:
Susan G Mathis is an international award-winning, multi-published author of stories set in the beautiful Thousand Islands in upstate NY. Susan has been published more than thirty times in full-length novels, novellas, and non-fiction books. She has sixteen in her fiction line. Susan is also a published author of two premarital books, stories in a dozen compilations, and hundreds of published articles. Susan lives in Northern Virginia and enjoys traveling the world. Visit www.SusanGMathis.com/fiction.

Heroes of the 1912 Great Fire (part two)

By Susan G Mathis

As mentioned in my January 19th post, the Great Fire razed the Columbian Hotel and more than a hundred businesses and cottages in the Thousand Island Park. Firefighters bravely fought the fire for many terrible hours. But the residents who also tried to save their beloved Thousand Island Park, were heroes in their own right.

Grandma Tousey was a special resident of the Park. At age 92, she took charge of volunteers, urging them to save others. She was known to save at least two people—Mrs. Anna Nunn and Mrs. Eager—who were caught in a burning cottage. She found them on the floor unconscious and called for help. Once they were dragged into the fresh air, they revived.

Marion Mayer, a twelve-year-old girl, saved a large boarding house on Garden Avenue with a garden hose. And many countless folks risked life and limb to save businesses, cottages, and most importantly, their fellow TI Park residents and volunteers.

After the fire had consumed those hundred structures and an entire section of the Park, others stepped up to help those left homeless and devastated. The Murray Hill Hotel on Murray Island as well as other hotels took in more than a hundred and twenty guests left homeless when the Columbian Hotel burned to the ground. Some welcomed victims into their unburned cottages.

Commodore Gillespie and Herbert Copelle provided $300 of food to form a bread line and provide for the basic needs of the victims. Joseph Wittman of Isle of Pines and T. A. Gillespie of Basswood Island sent their private yachts to Clayton to purchase all the baked goods available and anything else useful for the fire sufferers. These goods were placed in the pavilion on the dock and divided among those who needed them.

And there were others, unnamed folks who helped any way they could. In my novel, Mary’s Moment, I tell their stories—firemen, friends, neighbors, doctors, nurses, and a telephone switchboard operator at the center of it all.

What makes a hero? Leave your answer or comments on the post below and join me on February 19th for my next post.

ABOUT MARY’S MOMENT:

It’s 1912, and Thousand Island Park’s switchboard operator Mary Flynn is the community heroine saving dozens of homes from a terrible fire. Less than a month later, when another disastrous fire rages through the Park, Mary loses her memory as she risks her life in a neighbor's burning cottage. Widowed fireman George Flannigan is enamored by the brave raven-haired lass and takes every opportunity to connect with Mary. But he has hidden griefs of his own that cause him great heartache. When George can’t stop the destructive Columbian Hotel fire from eradicating more than a hundred businesses and homes, he is distraught. Yet George’s greater concern is Mary. Will she remember their budding relationship or be forever lost to him?

ABOUT SUSAN:

Susan G Mathis is an international award-winning, multi-published author of stories set in the beautiful Thousand Islands in upstate NY. Susan has been published more than thirty times in full-length novels, novellas, and non-fiction books. She has eleven in her fiction line. Susan is also a published author of two premarital books, stories in a dozen compilations, and hundreds of published articles. Susan lives in Colorado Springs and enjoys traveling the world. Visit www.SusanGMathis.com/fiction for more.

Heroes of the 1912 Great Fire (part one)

By Susan G Mathis

The Great Fire of 1912 in the Thousand Island Park is seared into Thousand Island history, especially into the hearts and memories of the Park community. The summer of 1910 was unseasonable hot and dry, and the population of TI Park had grown to about 12,000. The area was primed for trouble, and that summer, three major fires nearly destroyed the Park.

In May, eleven boathouses and three launches were destroyed in a riverfront fire. In June, an entire block of new cottages burned down. Then, in July, the Great Fire razed the Columbian Hotel and more than a hundred businesses and cottages to the north and east of today’s Commons. Firefighters from Alexandria Bay, Clayton, and Ganonoque responded to the call for help, bravely fighting the conflagration for many terrible hours. Residents also came to their aid, trying to save their beloved Thousand Island Park. Many were injured, but thankfully, only one person died.

As the Columbian Hotel burned, William Tousey, Robert Van Lingen, and Frank Sweeny worked their way to the top floor of the hotel where they rushed from room to room. On the top floor in one of the furthest rooms in the southeast corner of the hotel, they found Miss Mary Buster of Watertown, who had fainted. Mr. Tousey threw her over his shoulder, soon carried her to safety.

Paul Crouch of Cortland stood on the peak of the Wellesley Hotel with a blanket thrown around him and ripped the burning shingles from the roof for two hours. His efforts, coupled with the volunteers on the ground, saved the Wellesley Hotel from destruction. Though badly scorched, the hotel reopened the next day.

Next month on February 19th, you’ll read the rest of the story. You’ll learn about a ninety-two-year-old grandmother, a twelve-year-old girl, and others who were heroes during this terrible time. Their stories are penned in my novel, Mary’s Moment.

What makes a hero? Leave your answer or comments on the post below and join me on February 19th for my next post.

ABOUT MARY’S MOMENT:

It’s 1912, and Thousand Island Park’s switchboard operator Mary Flynn is the community heroine saving dozens of homes from a terrible fire. Less than a month later, when another disastrous fire rages through the Park, Mary loses her memory as she risks her life in a neighbor's burning cottage. Widowed fireman George Flannigan is enamored by the brave raven-haired lass and takes every opportunity to connect with Mary. But he has hidden griefs of his own that cause him great heartache. When George can’t stop the destructive Columbian Hotel fire from eradicating more than a hundred businesses and homes, he is distraught. Yet George’s greater concern is Mary. Will she remember their budding relationship or be forever lost to him?

ABOUT SUSAN:

Susan G Mathis is an international award-winning, multi-published author of stories set in the beautiful Thousand Islands in upstate NY. Susan has been published more than thirty times in full-length novels, novellas, and non-fiction books. She has eleven in her fiction line. Susan is also a published author of two premarital books, stories in a dozen compilations, and hundreds of published articles. Susan lives in Colorado Springs and enjoys traveling the world. Visit www.SusanGMathis.com/fiction for more.

The First Texting System—the Telegraph

by Susan G Mathis

The electric telegraph was an important invention and was used from the 1840s until the 1990s. Before the telephone, the telegraph connected faraway people and places.

Telegraphs were the first telecommunications texting system in the world. In its early days, it was used mainly in railway, government, and post offices. Samuel Morse invented the armature telegraph in 1838. Telegraph offices were connected by wires and could spread information quicker and more efficiently than mail.

The telegraph used a system of dots and dashes to communicate a message to the telegrapher who would get it to the receiver. By 1865, the Morse Code system became the standard for international communication.

At first, railroad companies mainly used it to control train routes and prevent crashes. Before long, governments, the military, banks, and businesses began using the telegraph more and more. In the second half of the 1800s, commercial telegraphs allowed the public to send urgent messages for a fee. A person paid by-the-word to have a message telegraphed to another office and delivered to the addressee in paper form. By the mid-to-late 1800s, most developed nations provided this benefit to their people, thanks to underwater telegraph cables that allowed communication between continents.

Telegraph operators had to learn the Morse system well and had to be able to translate the dots and dashes flawlessly. Long hours in front of the telegraph machine gave them hours of reading and dreaming. Telegraph operators often chatted with other operators and got to know each other’s style. Dots had to be uniform and short. Dashes uniform and long. Each letter had a distinctive beat. For example, SOS is three quick dots, three long dashes, and three quick dots.

During both World Wars, radio telegraphy was an essential way to communicate diplomatically and militarily. Telegraphers could be stationed anywhere alerting the their country’s military to the enemies’ movements, plans, and dangers.

With the increase of the use of the telephone in the early 1900s, the telegraph slowly became outdated. By the early 1990s, with the rise of the top the Internet and email the demise of the telegraph certain. In Mary’s Moment, Mary enjoyed being not only a telephone switchboard operator but also a telegrapher.

About Mary’s Moment:

Mathis’s attention to detail and rich history is classic Mathis, and no one does it better.—Margaret Brownley, N.Y. Times bestselling author


Summer 1912

Thousand Island Park’s switchboard operator ​Mary Flynn is christened the community heroine for her quick action that saves dozens of homes from a terrible fire. Less than a month later, when another disastrous fire rages through the Park, Mary loses her memory as she risks her life in a neighbor's burning cottage. Will she remember the truth of who she is or be deceived by a treacherous scoundrel?

Widowed fireman George Flannigan is enamored by the brave raven-haired lass and takes every opportunity to connect with Mary. But he has hidden griefs of his own that cause him great heartache. When George can’t stop the destructive Columbian Hotel fire from eradicating more than a hundred businesses and homes, he is distraught. Yet George’s greater concern is Mary. Will she remember their budding relationship or be forever lost to him?

About Susan: 
Susan G Mathis is an international award-winning, multi-published author of stories set in the beautiful Thousand Islands in upstate NY. Susan has been published more than twenty-five times in full-length novels, novellas, and non-fiction books. She has ten in her fiction line including Mary’s Moment. Susan is also a published author of two premarital books, stories in a dozen compilations, and hundreds of published articles. Susan lives in Colorado Springs and enjoys traveling the world. Visit www.SusanGMathis.com/fiction for more.

Early 1900s Fire extinguishers

by Susan G Mathis

The homes and buildings of the early 1900s provided several sources of fire hazards and plenty of fodder to feed a fire. Fireplaces, wood and coal stoves, candles, oil lamps, and kerosene were just a few. Bedding, clothing, and dry wooden furniture were not fire retardant as they are today.

The lack of easy communication didn’t help either. Fire victims often had to wait—too long—for a message for help and volunteer firefighters to come to their aid. So, in-home fire protection became a must, even as early as the late 1600s.

Laws required fire buckets, often made of leather, to be in every home and business, and most owners painted their names on them. Pubs, bakers, and other fire-hazardous businesses were required to have multiple buckets.

Businesses and wealthier homes also had fire extinguishers at the ready. Before 1910, soda-acid extinguishers were the go-to safety items. Two viles of sulfuric acid were broken and mixed with bicarbonate solution, causing a chemical reaction in a tank. Though not too effective, it was better than nothing.

Around 1905, a Russian inventor, Alexander Laurant, created a chemical foam extinguisher with licorice root and sodium bicarbonate. A step better, but not great.

Fire extinguisher bombs or glass grenade fire extinguisher were a favorite from 1870 to 1912. Shaped like a light bulb, filled with liquid, and stored on metal brackets on the wall near a stove or fireplace, if there was a fire, anyone could throw it on the fire. That would either put it out or give the person time to escape. Some were filled with salt water, while others contained carbon tetrachloride.

People in the early 1900s lived with the daily fear of fire’s smoke, heat, backdrafts, and toxic fumes. Very few lived long without knowing someone who was killed, maimed, or harmed by fire. In Mary’s Moment, the summer community of Thousand Island Park lost more than a hundred homes, businesses, and hotels. It’s a tale that will bring fire danger to life.

About Mary’s Moment:

Mathis’s attention to detail and rich history is classic Mathis, and no one does it better.—Margaret Brownley, N.Y. Times bestselling author

Summer 1912

Thousand Island Park’s switchboard operator ​Mary Flynn is christened the community heroine for her quick action that saves dozens of homes from a terrible fire. Less than a month later, when another disastrous fire rages through the Park, Mary loses her memory as she risks her life in a neighbor's burning cottage. Will she remember the truth of who she is or be deceived by a treacherous scoundrel?

Widowed fireman George Flannigan is enamored by the brave raven-haired lass and takes every opportunity to connect with Mary. But he has hidden griefs of his own that cause him great heartache. When George can’t stop the destructive Columbian Hotel fire from eradicating more than a hundred businesses and homes, he is distraught. Yet George’s greater concern is Mary. Will she remember their budding relationship or be forever lost to him?

About Susan:
Susan G Mathis is an international award-winning, multi-published author of stories set in the beautiful Thousand Islands in upstate NY. Susan has been published more than twenty-five times in full-length novels, novellas, and non-fiction books. She has ten in her fiction line including Mary’s Moment. Susan is also a published author of two premarital books, stories in a dozen compilations, and hundreds of published articles. Susan lives in Colorado Springs and enjoys traveling the world. Visit www.SusanGMathis.com/fiction for more.

The 1912 Telephone Switchboard Operator

by Susan G Mathis

The Telephone Switchboard Operator had no easy task, but many young women found it to be a gratifying job. In smaller communities, one small multiplex switchboard might be found in a post office, a hotel, or even in one’s home, and only one person would operate it, connecting a few hundred subscribers. In larger cities, there might be rooms full of switchboards and operators busily placing calls to thousands. 

When a caller lifted the telephone receiver, a light lit up on the switchboard near the caller’s jack. The operator inserted the cord and answered the call. For a local call, the operator connected the call with a ringing cord. But for a long-distance call, she had to connect the call with a special trunk circuit, talk to another operator, and have her connect the call.

 

By 1910, nearly six million businesses and homes had Alexander Graham Bell’s telephones. But it was a shared convenience. There was always a half dozen businesses or homes on one line, and to make a call, you first had to get an open line. Then you had to turn the long crank of the handle on the side of the phone box and wait for the operator to answer. She’d ask who you wanted to call, and she’d connect them to you. If the line was busy, she might even chat with you while you waited.

 

The most popular phone was the candlestick telephone, also known as a stick phone, a desk stand, or an upright. Candlestick telephones had a mouth piece at the top of the stand, and a receiver that was held up to the users ear to hear the caller. The receiver rested on a fork at the side of the stand when not in use. When the receiver sat on the fork, it disconnected the telephone circuit.

In my latest novel, Mary’s Moment, Mary’s acumen as a telephone switchboard operator for the growing summer community of the Thousand Island Park made for a fun and interesting protagonist—and she saved lives in the process.

About Mary’s Moment:

Mathis’s attention to detail and rich history is classic Mathis, and no one does it better.—Margaret Brownley, N.Y. Times bestselling author

Summer 1912

Thousand Island Park’s switchboard operator ​Mary Flynn is christened the community heroine for her quick action that saves dozens of homes from a terrible fire. Less than a month later, when another disastrous fire rages through the Park, Mary loses her memory as she risks her life in a neighbor's burning cottage. Will she remember the truth of who she is or be deceived by a treacherous scoundrel?

Widowed fireman George Flannigan is enamored by the brave raven-haired lass and takes every opportunity to connect with Mary. But he has hidden griefs of his own that cause him great heartache. When George can’t stop the destructive Columbian Hotel fire from eradicating more than a hundred businesses and homes, he is distraught. Yet George’s greater concern is Mary. Will she remember their budding relationship or be forever lost to him?

About Susan:
Susan G Mathis is an international award-winning, multi-published author of stories set in the beautiful Thousand Islands in upstate NY. Susan has been published more than twenty-five times in full-length novels, novellas, and non-fiction books. She has ten in her fiction line including Mary’s Moment. Susan is also a published author of two premarital books, stories in a dozen compilations, and hundreds of published articles. Susan lives in Colorado Springs and enjoys traveling the world. Visit www.SusanGMathis.com/fiction for more.

Firefighting in the Early 1900s

by Susan G Mathis

Firefighting in the early 1900s was not for the faint of heart. Firemen had few tools and lots of danger, but they faithfully did what they could to save their neighbors’ lives and property.

To protect their bodies, firemen wore bulky, black rubber-lined duck coats and rubber boots. Heavy helmets made of leather and metal protected their heads. Designed with a high dome to deflect falling objects, a wide brim to fend off debris, and a long duck tail to keep water and cinders from their backs made them invaluable.

Commonly used Bucket Brigades were almost universal until the mid-1900s. Two lines of volunteers stretched from the town well to the fire passing buckets of water to the firefighters. Once empty, the buckets were passed back to the well to be refilled. Once the hand pumper came into use, bucket brigades kept the pumper full of water. The fire foreman would use a “speaking trumpet” to give orders and keep his men and volunteers motivated.

Firemen also used hooks and chains to pull down walls of burning buildings to form a firebreak and keep the fire from spreading. Firemen and volunteers often used wet mops called Swabs to fight falling embers that would easily catch a roof on fire.

The early fire engines were horse-drawn. Firemen had to manually pump the water. In the late 1800s, fire engines with internal combustion engines slowly replaced horse-drawn steam engines, but only in the larger cities and wealthier districts. At first, the engines were self-propelled steam powered engines. Decades later did they became gasoline powered trucks.

Professional firefighters had to learn a lot about firefighting including a basic knowledge of fire dynamics, extinguishers, fire suppression, building construction, and how to use ropes and knots, ladders, hoses, and other equipment. They also needed to be fit and to know a little about safe search and rescue, smoke dangers, and so much more.

We cheer on today’s firefighters, and rightly so. But the men who fought fires back in the early 1900s were heroes indeed. In my latest novel, Mary’s Moment, we experience three major fires that nearly destroyed the Thousand Island Park community in 1912. It’s an exciting read.

About Mary’s Moment:

Mathis’s attention to detail and rich history is classic Mathis, and no one does it better.—Margaret Brownley, N.Y. Times bestselling author

Summer 1912

Thousand Island Park’s switchboard operator ​Mary Flynn is christened the community heroine for her quick action that saves dozens of homes from a terrible fire. Less than a month later, when another disastrous fire rages through the Park, Mary loses her memory as she risks her life in a neighbor's burning cottage. Will she remember the truth of who she is or be deceived by a treacherous scoundrel?

Widowed fireman George Flannigan is enamored by the brave raven-haired lass and takes every opportunity to connect with Mary. But he has hidden griefs of his own that cause him great heartache. When George can’t stop the destructive Columbian Hotel fire from eradicating more than a hundred businesses and homes, he is distraught. Yet George’s greater concern is Mary. Will she remember their budding relationship or be forever lost to him?

About Susan:
Susan G Mathis is an international award-winning, multi-published author of stories set in the beautiful Thousand Islands in upstate NY. Susan has been published more than twenty-five times in full-length novels, novellas, and non-fiction books. She has ten in her fiction line including Mary’s Moment. Susan is also a published author of two premarital books, stories in a dozen compilations, and hundreds of published articles. Susan lives in Colorado Springs and enjoys traveling the world. Visit www.SusanGMathis.com/fiction for more.