By now I am sure that most everyone has heard about the devasting fire in Fairburn's downtown historic district on the morning of Thursday, February 11, 2010. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but the affected buildings sustained extensive damage. This has been a terrible blow to the businesses that occupied those buildings as well as the property owners and employees. Standing on the sidelines watching the flames engulf those historic buildings was very sad. I can only hope that when the time comes to rebuild, that the historic integrity of downtown Fairburn is not compromised by the new structures.
Nancy Cornell reminded those of us watching the fire that morning, that this very same block of buildings had burned before. It seems that on the last day of 1900, a fire destroyed most of the buildings, which were wooden structures at that time. A bucket brigade was formed to put out the fire. By 1901, the new buildings were finished, and they were mostly brick construction.
Mayor Mario B. Avery stated in a letter to the citizens of Fairburn: "As Mayor of Fairburn, my heart and commitment remains with each and every resident and business owner of our community. I have no doubt, we will all come together to ensure that our city continues to rebuild, reunite and thrive for the sake of the good of us all. I thank you in advance for your support and look forward to our continued partnership and dream of rebuilding "One Fairburn One Family."
As President of the Old Campbell County Historical Society, I share his dream of rebuilding. A development fund account has been established at United Community Bank for those who wish to make a donation.
On a lighter note, please join us for our regular monthly meeting of the Historical Society on Sunday, March 21, at 3:00 p.m. Our speaker will be Mrs. Joan Thornton. Mrs. Thornton will speak on her experiences as a Public Health Nurse in Fulton County for over 30 years. Joan graduated with a BS from the Emory School of Nursing. I am certain that you will find her stories regarding this time very interesting.
As always, your ideas regarding future programs are welcome!