Old Independence Regional Museum houses artifacts that tell stories about the history of Batesville and the surrounding area. One of those stories is the “Great Fire of 1920” which happened on April 21, 1920. High winds and dry weather helped fan the flames that began at the residence of Horatio Carpenter at 746 Vine Street. In total 60 homes were destroyed and around 300 people were left homeless.
The Moser Collection features this newspaper story about the fire
Photos of the destruction are part of the Powell-Guard Collection. In these photos you can see chimneys standing amid the rubble of the homes that burned.
Result of 1920 Fire
Another Fire Picture
