Burning of
the Capitol
Tlio State
Нонке,
Library, ami
several private resiliences were
destroy eel in the disastrous 1831
fire in Kaleigli.
ttij IHHl IS GOLKCII
EARLY Tuesday morning, June
21, 1831, an alarm was
sounded throughout the state
capital, and Raleigh citizens, wea¬
rily climbing out of bed. learned
that the capitol was on fire. Men
from all parts of the town rushed
to Capitol Square to do their part
in saving the structure.
It had rained the night before
and the building was still damp,
but even with the dampness and
the absence of wind, the building
was destroyed.
The fire was first discovered
around seven o’clock, but it had
probably been smoldering for
half an hour earlier before break¬
ing through to the outside of the
building. Flames shot through the
roof and covered the top of the
capitol. and soon the top began
falling in and by nine o’clock the
walls alone were standing.
The grove of oak trees, the damp¬
ness and the lack of wind kept the
fire from enveloping the city, but
despite the efforts of the fire¬
fighters, the State Library and two
or three private homes within a
short distance of the capitol were
completely destroyed.
When it was decided that the
capitol could not be saved, the
state papers were the next con¬
cern. Papers of the Comptroller’s
office, the office of the Clerk of the
Supreme Court and the offices of
the clerks of the two houses of the
Legislature were saved.
Next to the loss of the capitol
itself, or probably even more im¬
portant, the statue of George Wash¬
ington, by Canova. was totally
destroyed. The people of the state
had erected the statue to the father
of the country at an expense of
$30,000.
The Raleigh Register describes
the burning of the statue in this
way:
“After the house was filled with
flame, the statue presented an
awful aspect being alternately en-
THE STATE. July 21. 1943
The North Carolina capitol, which was being re¬
paired at the time of the fire, was described as a
tottering old building supported only by the two
wings.
cause in his opinion, it would other¬
wise have collapsed.
“Since the fire, the greater por¬
tion of the old walls has tumbled
down and the remainder is in a
tottering condition. The two wings,
however, on the east and west,
which were only a few years ago
added to the building, remain firm.
It is tbe opinion of the most ex-
perier.jd and intelligent gentle¬
men who have visited the ruins of
that splendid edifice, that, without
the support of those wings, the
building would not have stood to
meet its destruction by fire; and
even with their support, it is be¬
lieved by many that such was the
weakness of the old walls and the
rotten crumbling state of the
bricks, they must eventually give
way. probably at no distant period
and brought the whole fabric to
the ground. The facts developed
certainly prove that they were
very weak and insecure." the editor
wrote.
Probably the greatest loss in the
fire was the Canova statue and the
fact that the fire did not spread
throughout the town was the
greatest gain. There had been a
disastrous fire just six months be¬
fore in January 1831, that spread
throughout the entire city.
The General Assembly at its
session of November 1832, re¬
solved to rebuild on the old site,
and $50,000 was appropriated for
the purpose. Several other ap¬
propriations had to be made before
the building was completed.
з
velopcd in dark vol¬
umes of smoke and
curious sheets of red¬
dening blaze; and
when the dome fell
in. the head and arms
were broken off and
a great portion of the
figure was reduced to
a state of calcination."
The Washington statue stood in
the center of the rotunda.
Even though the statue was lost
a full length portrait of Washing¬
ton, by Sully, which hung near the
Speaker’s Chair in the House of
Commons, was saved.
At the time of the burning of
the capitol some repair work was
being made or .no structure and
a new zinc roof had been almost
completed. For several days there
was much speculation as to the
origin of the fire and on June 30,
1831, The Star and North Caro¬
lina State Gazette came out with
this item on the fire’s origin.
“It is now generally believed
that the fire originated from the
carelessness of the workman in
soldering the roof. He very im¬
properly carried up a coal of fire
through the inside of the house,
between two shingles, which were
in a blaze before he reached the
top; and in passing through the
garret, a draft of air from the
door leading out upon the roof,
it is thought, blew a spark into
some combustible matter between
the roof and ceiling, which kindled
while the hands were at break¬
fast.”
In spite of the burning, which
was described as “an awful ca¬
lamity" and about which one edi¬
tor wrote. "It is with indescribable
emotions of regret that we an¬
nounce this awful catastrophe."
the editor of The Star seemed to
think it was a pretty good thing
that the old building burned, be-