The North East United Methodist Church was destroyed by a massive fire in May of 1911, the blaze threatening to engulf the entire town. In the middle of the night, the pastor was awakened by crackling and a glow and when he looked out his window he noticed flames spreading through a nearby dwelling.
North East faced a terrorizing sight that night over a hundred years ago as swiftly spreading flames hoped from structure to structure. Soon the largest building in North East, the church, was in flames as residents tried to stand their ground. Buckets in hand, feeling the hot flames of the fire consuming the doomed structures, they flung pail after pail of water onto the inferno while the mayor telegraphed to nearby towns with fire departments, urgently asking for help.
This coming weekend (Nov. 16 – 18), the church is hosting a number of activities that recall this difficult time in the congregation’s history. There will be activities stretching over the entire weekend, with things getting underway Friday evening as the Historical Society helps with part of the observance. At 6:00 p.m. the church will host a homemade soup supper with bread and desert and at 7:00 p.m. historian Mike Dixon will present a program about the 1911 fire and its impact on the community. Sunday will be a day for special services.
Church officials are inviting the public, and especially past members, to join events over the weekend.
