March 28th, 1923, one of the most important days in Ashville’s history. For reasons unknown, a fire broke out at Jones’s Family Diner, quickly spreading to most of main street. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long until the Ashville Fire Department too found itself in the flames. Many believed that this would be the end of Ashville’s short history, as it spread unimpeded through town. It burnt through all of the east side of town and much of the west too before a firebreak could be made, finally putting a stop to its spread. Even still, Ashville was devastated.
In the weeks that followed, Ashton Williams and the Fellowship of Dreamers financed an effort to rebuild main street. However, almost 500 people had either died or lost their homes in the fire, many of whom chose to move away afterwards. It would take several decades for Ashville’s population to rebound.
While the Jones family had perished in the fire, the body of the late Samuel Jones was never recovered. In his honor, Ashville erected the Samuel Jones Library where Jones’s Family Diner once stood. Some in town have claimed that the fire was a cover for Samuel Jones to be silenced or otherwise removed from the picture. This is, of course, nonsense. There is no reason to believe that the fire was anything other than a freak accident.
The fire was one of the greatest tragedies that Ashville ever faced, but it also opened up the opportunity to rebuild better than before. Ashville would rebuild stronger than before, now with a vision to its design. Ashville would persevere through its darkest hour under Ashton’s leadership, but all good things must come to an end. Tomorrow we’ll be covering the end of this chapter in Ashville’s history, and looking back on its impact.
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