Louisa Court House, VA Fire, Jan 1888

Richmond, Va., Jan. 7.-A telegram received at midnight from Louisa Court House stated that a fire is raging in that town and is beyond all control, and asking for aid from Richmond. At 1 o’clock this morning [illegible] fie engine and a detachment of firemen left here on a special train for the scene. The town has about 1,100 inhabitants. It is on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad about sixty miles from Richmond.

2 a.m.-A later telegram says that over twenty homes have been burned and the new hotel is threatened. The fire is still raging savagely.

Inter Ocean, Chicago, IL 7 Jan 1888

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Fire Record.

A Virginia Conflagration.

The Town of Louisa Court House Destroyed-Hundreds of Families Ruined.

Richmond, Va., Jan. 7.-Jst before midnight fire broke out at Louisa Court House, a town of 1100 inhabitants on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, about 60 miles from here. In two hours over one-half of the buildings of the town were in ashes, and there was but little hope of subduing the flames until many more had been consumed. A large hotel that has just been built and was one of the best blocks, was also burned. Several hundreds of families lost all they had, barely escaping with their lives, they being asleep and the fire spreading so rapidly that they had no time to remove anything.

Boston Journal, Boston, MA 7 Jan 1888

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The Business Portion Almost Wiped Out.

Richmond, Va., Jan. 7. The fire at Louisa Court House last night resulted in the destruction of twenty-one out of twenty-four business houses and shops in the town. The new hotel escaped the flames. The individual losses are all small and aggregate $25,000; insurance, $10,000.

Aberdeen Daily News, Aberdeen, SD 8 Jan 1888

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A fire at Louisa Court-house, Va., Friday night, burned 21 out of 24 business houses and shops; total loss about $30,000.

Springfield Republican, Springfield, MA 8 Jan 1888

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Twenty-One Houses Burned.

Richmond, Va., Jan. 7.-The fire at Louisa Court House last night resulted in the destruction of 21 out of 24 business houses and shops in the town. The new hotel recently erected by R.P. Cammack escaped the flames. The principal losers are: R.P. Cammack, $5,000; insurance, $1,500. H.M. Daniel, grocery and dry goods, loss, $1,000; fully insured. Leon Levy, Jr., clothing and dry goods, loss on building and stock, $5,000; one-third insured. William Ira Kennon & Co., general insurance agents and storekeepers, loss, $3,000; insurance, $1,000. Lazarus Bibb, colored, general merchandise, loss, $2,000; insurance unknown. Virgil Perkins, general merchandise, loss, $4,500; stock partially insured; building insured for $1,000. W.E. Bidd, loss, $1,000; no insurance. Post Office loss, $300; Mrs. L.A. Goodwin, Postmistress, individual loss, $250; W.H. Young, plumber and tin dealer, loss heavy, but not stated; insurance, $1,000. J.M. Bickers, job printer, loss $500; no insurance. Also several minor losses ascertained. The burned district did not embrace the residence portion of the town, and not more than a dozen families lived in the houses burned.

The New York Times, New York, NY 8 Jan 1888
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Transcribed by June. Thanks June!