In Their Footsteps: Cape Cod History - The Great Hyannis Fire of 1904

    Natural disasters come in all forms. Hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, earthquakes, tsunamis, and more attack without remorse and change land and lives in their wake. Fires are sometimes natural disasters and sometimes man-made. They are no less devastating whatever their origin is.

    Cape Cod has seen its share of fires. There have been some terrible forest fires over the centuries. However what about fires that caused an overwhelming loss of property? One of the deadliest such fires occurred in the first decade of the 20^th century and forever changed Downtown Hyannis. This is the story of Main Street’s great fire of 1904.

Looking west down Main Street before the fire. Everything on the right was basically wiped out.

    In the 2020s it’s hard to imagine that there was a time when Hyannis’ Main Street was anything but wall-to-wall shopping and restaurants. A century ago however it was dotted with residential homes as much as businesses. It has always been referred to by its ‘ends.’ The East End lies near the end of the railroad tracks and is close to Cape Cod Hospital, while the West End is today near a rotary and close to the Cape Cod Melody Tent.

    The Main Street area of Hyannis had actually seen a pair of large fires in the preceding years both in 1892 and again in 1894. What came in the early morning hours of December 2-3, 1904 topped both of them in terms of loss.

    The exact location and cause of the fire itself have never truly been established. However, it can be traced to one of two places. Although the fire could have begun at either L.P. Wilson’s grocery store or Walter Baker’s neighboring department store, both located near Center Street across from the railroad depot. It was Wilson who first was made aware of the blaze.

    Living above his store Wilson’s mother alerted him and his wife and two children just before midnight on September 2^nd. They were all able to escape the fire in the nick of time with only the clothes on their backs. Wilson’s store was the easternmost location to be lost. Wilson’s mother thought the fire began next door in Baker’s building. However with the buildings all being built so close together, some as close as six feet, it will likely never be known where the actual ignition location was.

    Shortly after midnight on Saturday, December 3rd the alarm had been sounded for the fire department in the form of the bell atop the nearby Universalist Church. It is unknown just how long the flames had been roaring before being brought to anyone’s attention. Wilson’s Hyannis Public Market and Walter Baker’s Department Store were the first structures to go, but they weren’t the last.

    Strong northeast winds coupled with the wooden buildings being so closely packed together meant that the fire spread easily. The flames were essentially blown right down Main Street. Luckily many of the buildings in the path of the flames had items removed by volunteers before the flames could reach them. This included stock from some of the businesses. The Hyannis Fire Department got five pieces of apparatus together but it was no match for the growing fire. Calls were made to other local departments with firefighters from as far away as Middleborough, Provincetown, and Brockton making their way to help. In an extreme act of bravery, a man from the Telephone Exchange Co. was atop a nearby telephone pole sending messages for help as long as he was safe.

    The fire ate through more than 600 feet of Main Street real estate. The exclamation point in the carnage came at just after 3am when the steeple of the Universalist Church came toppling to the ground. A perimeter was set up using wet rugs and blankets on and around buildings that were just out of the fire’s reach. Eventually, the strong northeast winds died down, and by 4am the fire had been contained.

    Heading west along Main Street the following businesses were totally destroyed by the fire: The Universalist Church, post office, Richardson Bros. Photographers, William P. Bearse & Co. who sold meats and provisions, P. F. Campbell & Co. who were tailors, Singer Sewing Machine Co., Charles W Megathlin’s pharmacy, A. P. and E. L. Eagleston’s department store, New England Telephone Exchange, Julia Stevens dressmaker, James E. Baxter boots/shoes, Thomas Nickerson’s marble, and granite works, and finally A. B. Nye & Co.’s paint store.

Postcard of the fire's aftermath, taken by Walter Baker whose department store was destroyed.

    When all was said and done fifteen buildings had been destroyed. Conservative estimates had the damage somewhere in the neighborhood of $150,000($5 million in 2022). For A. B. Nye it was the third time that his paint store had burned down in twelve years. Only once had the fire started on Nye’s property. Sadly sixty-nine-year-old retired sea captain William Penn Lewis died of a heart attack while in the process of saving his house from the fire. As day broke on that Saturday morning all that was left was carnage. Nearly ten acres of property, retail and residential, government and worship, all lay in ruins.

    With the perseverance of a bygone generation, those Hyannis residents who lost their homes or businesses did not stay down for long. In fact, the post office was quickly moved into the home of Mrs. E. C. Benson. Thanks to the determination of Postmaster Percy Goss it was delivering its first shipment of mail by 7:30 that same morning. Most of the businesses quickly set up temporary locations in and around the charred remains of their establishments. Insurance adjusters came later in the day on Saturday, and by the end of the day, plans were already being made for rebuilding Main Street.

Main Street as it appears today. (Google Maps)

    By April 1905 nearly all of the lost buildings had been rebuilt, most of them in the same locations where they previously stood. Today there is little to no reminder of the devastating fire that changed the face of Main Street Hyannis. The ‘new’ buildings are all now nearly 120 years old themselves. They have seen generations of change on Cape Cod and in the world. The solitary reminder in plain sight is a historic marker at the intersection with Ocean Street. It was roughly where the fire was stopped and shows a photo of the aftermath of the blaze.

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Charles Megathlin's Drug Store, Hyannis MA

    In the 21^st century pharmacies, much like all of business, are dominated by a few big names. CVS, Walgreens, Rite-Aid, and more are located in nearly every nook and cranny of America. Even supermarkets like Publix and retailers like Walmart dabble in prescriptions. A century ago things were far different. The local pharmacy was a Mom and Pop operation. It was a friendly and familiar face. It was as much a hangout and general store as it was a place to pick up our scripts.

    On Cape Cod there have been many beloved local pharmacies during the 19^th and 20^th centuries. However one that stands up near the top of the mountain in Cape history is that of Megathlin’s Drug Store. Existing for decades on Hyannis’ Main Street it was the home of operations for Charles W. Megathlin, but it was hardly the only thing he was known for. This is a bit about the man and the business that bore his name.

    Charles W. Megathlin was born in Harwich, Massachusetts on April 2, 1872 to Anthony and Mary Megathlin. While attending Harwich High School Megathlin worked in the drug store of Dr. Benjamin Eldredge. It gave him a taste of what would be his future. After graduating from Harwich High School in 1891 and marrying Louise Munsell in October 1893 the young Megathlin set his sights on a career.

    An opportunity arose in the form of a drug store on Main Street in Hyannis. The 21-year old Megathlin bought the Hyannis Pharmacy from John P. Bowen. Bowen had run the business since 1890 before closing it in October 1893 to take a job in Boston as a traveling salesman.

    Megathlin immediately made improvements, including renaming it to Megathlin’s Drug Store. The grand opening soon thereafter. In order to keep close to his new venture Megathlin rented the former home of Captain Asa Bearse just down the street.

    Pharmacies at the time, much like today, sold far more than just medications. Basic toiletries like soaps and tooth powders, chocolates, and rare gifts and novelties were advertised in the local newspaper as being on sale at Megathlin’s. The business was an immediate success. Within two years it had outgrown its current location.

    Megathlin leased the building across the street in March 1894. This building had been the home of Louis Arenovski’s American Clothing House. Locals had doubts as to whether Megathlin could fill the large space with products. He did so with ease. The next several years saw Megathlin’s Drug Store dominate Hyannis business. It became the go-to for much of the everyday items that locals needed. In 1900 Charles purchased a building owned by William Lewis. This was converted into a new location for the drug store. It appeared as though nothing could slow the growth of Megathlin’s. However an event out of Charles’ control brought everything to a halt.

Postcard image of the Main Street fire. (Sturgis Library)

    On December 10, 1904 a major fire broke out around midnight, engulfing much of the business district of Main Street. The fire raged unchecked for hours. In the end several longtime establishments were damaged or destroyed. These included Megathlin’s Drug Store. In addition the Universalist church, Thomas Nickerson’s marble works, James Baxter’s shoe store, Eagleston’s store, the New England Telephone office, Walter Baker’s department store, and more were lost. Though the fire was said to have been accidental it left much of the east end of Main Street in ruins. Conservative estimates at the time had losses at more than $110,000($3.4 million in 2022)

    Charles Megathlin pulled up his boot straps and soldiered on though. Since the fire had been slow burning there had been ample time to remove much of the goods from the store. Megathlin got right to work on rebuilding his popular pharmacy. Within six weeks the new store was partly raised and boarded. In the meantime Megathlin took up temporary residence nearby and sold what dry good he had.

Megathlin's rebuilt store on Main Street(Sturgis Library)

    The new Megathlin’s opened April 20, 1905. He had taken the opportunity to make the new building bigger and better. The improvements included work rooms and laboratory rooms for medications. In addition people came from near and far to see the incredible marble countered soda fountain. The store continued its upward trajectory after the near-tragic fire. The store became an important distraction when Louis died in June 1906 at the young age of forty-one. A year later Charles married Mabel Lumbert.

    It got the point where the Hyannis store was seen on the same level as bigger city stores like those in Boston. More changes came in the summer of 1916. Megathlin added a new staircase to the second floor, mahogany wall cases, and a new drug counter with one hundred drawers. The wise businessman added a Japanese shop and Victrola department on the second floor of the revamped store.

    Decades of faithful service gave Megathlin’s the status as one of the largest local drug store operations in all of New England. It was during this time that Megathlin began to branch out in the grander scheme of the Cape Cod community. His knowledge of business, banking, pharmaceuticals, and more made him a popular local figure. Megathlin’s kind and genial nature only enhanced his stature.

    His new accolades included becoming the President of the New England Association of Rexall Druggists and the President of the Public Safety Committee of Hyannis both in 1917. In 1920 Megathlin added to this by becoming the President of the Cape Cod National Bank of Harwich which later became the Cape Cod Trust Company. His final, and perhaps greatest locally, achievement was becoming the first President of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce in February 1921. Megathlin only held that title until the organization’s next meeting which was the next month due to his other obligations.

    Despite having many new responsibilities Megathlin’s first love was his drug store. By the time he got into his mid-50’s though Megathlin was looking to slow down his life a bit with his second wife. In a major event the longtime owner sold Megathlin’s Drug Store to Louis Liggett also of drug store fame. Charles retained ownership of the building including an office he used on the second floor. Despite his name being removed from the business Charles Megathlin was still highly influential. His banking and real estate ventures led the entire building that housed Liggett’s and a few other businesses to be renamed the Megathlin Block later in 1926.

    In a sad irony, only a year after selling his beloved drug store to slow his life down some tragedy struck. Mabel Megathlin died in August 1927 at the age of fifty-seven. In 1928 Charles married for a third time. This was to Marguerite Baldwin. Charles and Marguerite became parents to Charles Jr. in August 1929. Megathlin was fifty-eight at the time and this was his only child.

The historical marker at Ocean St., denoting Megathlin's. (HMdb.org/Brandon D. Cross)

    Although he remained somewhat active locally Charles Megathlin for the most part faded from the public view. He spent the 1930’s and 1940’s enjoying being a husband and father. Charles did end up becoming President of the Cape Cod Chamber for a second time in March 1949. Entering his eighties Megathlin had carved out an extensive legacy on Cape Cod.

    The end came for Charles late on December 2, 1954. During a severe snowstorm Megathlin was driving alone through West Dennis when he lost control and struck a tree. He died instantly.

    Though the final act for Charles Megathlin was that of a tragic accident his life was a rousing success. Through tragic deaths, and the near-total loss of his business, Megathlin and his drug store transcended into iconic status. Even nearly a century after Charles sold his store to Louis Liggett the name Megathlin still echoes along Hyannis’ Main Street.

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