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| WV State Capitol 1885-1921 Source: WV History on View |
Before Charleston's East End became home to our beautiful and impressive modern gold domed capitol building and complex, the seat of West Virginia's government was located on what is now Capitol Street in downtown Charleston. This 'Victorian Capitol' was completed around 1887, and incorporated an earlier structure built by Dr. John P. Hale in 1870 also used as the state's capitol building.
From the photos, it's apparent that this Victorian Capitol was absolutely gorgeous! I love an old Victorian building, but unfortunately, I'd never get to see it in person. On January 3, 1921, the capitol building was completely destroyed by fire. There are slightly differing accounts as to the whole story, but it's generally accepted that the fire started in a storage room located in the 4th floor attic, probably around 2:30pm. It was noticed about 3:15pm by a stenographer on the second floor, who noticed smoke pouring from the attic. She sounded the alarm, and two janitors immediately headed up to see what they could do.
Unfortunately, the fire was already out of control, and by the time the fire department arrived, the area of the fourth floor where the fire is believed to have originated was inaccessible. Compounding the problem was the fact that this attic, besides papers and office supplies, also served as storage for a rather large ammunition stockpile that was being maintained in case fighting in the coalfields erupted into full-blown Civil War. On-lookers were said to have been sent scrambling as the fire reached the cache of bullets.
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| Firefighters desperately trying to put out the fire. Source: WV History on View |
Despite their best efforts of working through the night, the fire raged through the building, leaving just a shell behind. Three men who killed, including an electrician named Edward Spencer and Howard Pauley, who was helping the firemen. A third man, Charles Walker, was listed as missing and presumed deceased by the local newspapers. I never did find a follow-up article on his fate, but his death certificate does confirm that he was killed by falling stone during the capitol fire. His date of death is recorded as January 5th, however, so I can only guess that either they did find him and were able to pull him out alive, or that they didn't actually find his body until two days later.
At the time, the Charleston Fire Chief went on record as stating that he believed the cause of the fire was faulty electrical wiring. This was later confirmed by state fire marshal, John S. Horan. Although it was tragic that three lives were lost and several more were injured, no one could really be said to be at fault. It was just an unfortunate accident. However, growing up in the Charleston area, there was always those persisting rumors that there was more to the story than just that simple explanation. The story I always heard was that the fourth floor attic served as kind of a 'secret' meeting place where the night watchman would hold epic card games. As liquor was freely available in this hidden den of iniquity, one night the guys got kinda rowdy and a fight broke out. During the scuffle, a lantern was knocked over, which started the fire.
Obviously, my particular memory of the story doesn't hold up. The fire was in the middle of the afternoon, so it couldn't have been caused by a night-time brawl. Still, there may be a grain of truth to the story...
On January 7, 1921, the Dayton Daily News out of Dayton, Ohio ran a story with the headline "PLAYED CRAP IN ATTIC OF CAPITOL". James J. Geis, chief janitor, went on record stating that the fourth floor attic was not caused by faulty wiring. Rather, he believed that it had something to do with the regular 'crap shooting,' a popular dice game, that was frequently played in the attic. He further states that despite the guards, the doors to the capitol were open day and night and anyone could go in at any time without any trouble.
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| 7 January 1921 Dayton Daily News |
I really find this particular account fascinating, because Geis doesn't really mention the story I grew up with. He doesn't say that the fire started DURING one of these craps games. But, he does make it a point to let the public know that the doors to the capitol building were open all hours of the day, and access was easily obtained. I find this interesting because of ANOTHER quick mention. According to an article in the New York Times, a local lawyer who wished to remain anonymous came forward with information that William Briggs, a prisoner at the West Virginia State Penitentiary had predicted the capitol fire three weeks earlier. Briggs couldn't give an exact date, but noted that the capitol would soon be destroyed by either a bomb or explosion. Was William Briggs having a psychic premonition of what was to come, or did he have inside knowledge that someone planned on purposefully destroying the capitol?
Today, the site of the old capitol building is a little memorial park area on the corner of Capitol and Lee Streets. And, this past autumn, it became a popular stop for the Charleston Ghost Tour Company! According to legend, around midnight, if you look closely enough you might just hear the tell-tale noises of firemen desperately trying to put out a fire. You'll hear chains clanking, hoses being dragged, water being sprayed, and voices. You might also smell the distinct smell of charred wood and smoke. Some people believe that the spirit of the night watchman (or janitor) who 'ran' the craps games feels so bad about what happened that he comes back to visit the location. Locals have been known to leave him the occasional alcoholic offering as a means of helping him relieve the stress he still carries, even in death.
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| April Morgan, owner of Charleston Ghost Tour Company shares some history and hauntings of the old Capitol Grounds during a special Halloween ghost tour. |
For more information, photos, and even newspaper articles about the 1921 fire, please check out the following resources!
