1940s
St. Cecelia’s Catholic Church in Newport started out in the 1890’s as the Church of St. John the Evangelist. Parishioner Christian J. Saenger was instrumental in raising construction funds, and the church building was completed in 1896. The first church...
1920s
This map shows the area that succumbed to the fire, as it was obviously being driven by the wind. Newport bounced back with strong-willed determination. The town astounded the entire state with its optimism and energy, winning the nickname “Plucky Newport”...
1920s
A few homes survived the carnage, largely because of the quick thinking of their owners. The Wilmans house (not pictured) was spared only because R.D. Wilmans brought his farmhands in from the fields and stood them on top of his house with wet towels and blankets to...
1920s
Newport’s old-timers remembered for years how eerie the town seemed after the fire, looking to the veterans like scenes they had witnessed during World War I. Whole blocks were swept clean of homes, and then suddenly it would be evident that the wind had shifted...
1920s
A devastating fire in March 1926 destroyed more than 280 businesses and homes in a 30-block area. Most of the town’s fine homes burned to the ground, and the fire smoldered for a week. It started during a high wind when wooden shingles caught fire in a...
