In the spring of 1926 the City of Crisfield was a booming area, the second largest incorporated city in the State of Maryland; Crisfield was Know as “The Seafood Capital of The World”.
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The Crisfield Fire Department was given the job of covering this growing town with its original 1874 Steam engine and two motorized engines, making the town and surrounding community feel very safe. Mothers Day May 9, 1926 was a beautiful day on Delmarva with church services all over the are and the Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church in Lawsonia was no exception.
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(Engine #2 1925 American La France). |
As the Church showed off it big beautiful new granite stone church with a heavy slate roof, most people would have said it is the safest in the conference, maybe even fire proof.
On that Sunday with Minster T.J. Sard in the pulpit it was said that the church was at its best that morning with the choir’s song and Pastor Sard’s best sermon.
After the service the congregation lumbered home the celebrate with their mother’s
As documents have it, shortly after noon in the Topkis Shirt Company located across the street from the church, a few young men were playing with matches in the rear of the building.
From this, a small flame was started setting of a disastrous fire which consumed the factory then jumping the street to the old tabernacle building were it consumed or damaging several homes in the area.
The Crisfield Fire Department was quick on the seen with all it equipment and man power making a valiant stand too save what they could. families and friends, as well as members of Asbury, gathered to watch or offer help. while church members worried about there church.
At 3:30 p.m., the fire was becoming under control, and the church was looking ok!
Them the CFD ran out of its water supply.
Knowing the need for water, a call went out to fire companies in Princess Anne & Pocomoke. With no water to help them the inevitable was coming.
The fire raged back up with intense heat. So hot that the stained glass window in the almost fire proof church melted out leaving the interior exposed to intense heat.
Now the church was on fire. As its interior started to burn, the congregation assembled back only to see the horror of what was happening again. They were still fearful from the fire that had burn the lovely smaller church only seven years earlier to a small pile of ash.
