Piece of History: Remembering Mount Vernon’s 1954 Main Street blaze

On the frigid morning of Jan. 17, 1954, Mount Vernon experienced what was described as its worst Main Street fire since at least the turn of the century. The Busenbark Tavern, owned by Ralph A. Busenbark and his wife, was destroyed by a fire discovered shortly before 8 a.m.

The alarm was sounded at 7:50 a.m. after smoke was seen coming from the tavern door by Dale Johnson, a local hardware dealer. Lloyd LeGrand also spotted the fire while driving past. Temperatures were about 12 degrees below zero, making firefighting conditions extremely difficult. Firefighters battled frozen equipment and frostbitten ears, yet brought the blaze under control after two and a half hours and remained on the scene into the afternoon. Assistance from the Lisbon Fire Department was credited as invaluable.

The Busenbark Tavern sustained an estimated $40,000 in damage, which equates to about $482,000 in today’s dollars. Adjacent buildings also were affected. The Iowa Electric Light and Power Co. building lost its entire top floor and suffered an estimated $50,000 in damage ($602,000 in today’s dollars), while Loomis Produce Co. incurred roughly $10,000 in losses ($120,000 in today’s dollars).

Community support was immediate. Volunteers salvaged produce and supplies, while others provided coffee and food to firefighters. Local businesses donated refreshments, and residents organized a glove-drying effort as firefighters discarded frozen gear.

The cause of the fire was never determined, though investigators believed it may have been a result of the cold causing a power line to contract and snap a conductor. No one was injured, and no one lived in the upper floors of the damaged buildings. Though nearby towns also suffered major fires that day, Mount Vernon residents long remembered the fire for both its destruction and the extraordinary community response.

Tara Templeman is curator at The History Center. Comments: curator@historycenter.org