The Farmville Herald And Farmer Leader

HUGE CROWD--Crowd of several hundred spectators jammed sidewalks and Main Street to watch firemen battle the blaze for nearly three hours. Crowd stuck with firemen until nearly 1 a.m.

FIREFIGHTERS IN ACTION--Farmville firemen attack Masonic Building blaze through front entrance of Farmers Supply Co., (upper right), while second group pours water into building from positions on second street (upper left).

Damage from a fire which blazed through the Masonic Building in downtown Farmville Thursday night may exceed $150,000.

The interior of the two-story structure, which housed the local Masonic Lodge on the second floor and a hardware and dry goods store downstairs was gutted completely by the blaze which broke out about 9 p.m. Thursday.

Town Manager Lewis Johnston said Friday the building was a total loss. Lodge officials said their insurance totaled about $70,000.

The heavy loss of stock in the downstairs hardware and dry goods store, The Farmers Supply Co. included a new shipment of stoves valued at $15,000. Owner Dave Weinberg said today that it was impossible to tell exactly how much stock was on hand due to new shipments received recently. Company employees were taking inventory of the merchandise today.

Weinberg said he hoped to be back in business as soon as possible in some other location. In the meantime customers will be served from Southern Hardware on the Hub department store.

Lodge Loss High

Lodge Lease H. my Neabill said the Masons loss could not be valued in dollars and cents. All of the ceremonial paraphernalia of the century old fraternal order. Interior furnishings and kitchen equipment were destroyed.

Only the lodge gavel bearing the date 1854 was recovered after the flames died down.

The blaze, Fire Chief Claude Butcher said was believed to have started in the office of the Farmers Supply on the first floor about 9 p.m. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

Firemen were called by Farmville hotel owner Mrs. W. H. Moore who spotted smoke pouring from the building. Almost nine fire fighters battled the stubborn flames fed by paint stocks in the hardware store for nearly three hours before bringing under control.

Farmville Firemen aided by units from Crewe, Buckingham and Prospect. In all fire trucks were used as the volunteers pumped more than 40,000 gallons of water onto the flames. Hoses running along the Norfolk and Western railroad line crossing South Main street.

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were delayed almost two hours by fire hoses stretched across the tracks.

Weinberg was at Virginia Beach when the fire occurred on his vacation in four years. He returned to Farmville early Friday. His loss was fully covered by insurance.

The blaze was the first major fire in downtown Farmville since January 1956 when a hardware store was destroyed.