Read more
Circle City Catastrophes/
Disaster was a fact of everyday life in 1800s and early 1900s Indianapolis. During the 1860s, more than 1,700 people died in what is now the Herron-Morton Place neighborhood. In 1882, ten people drowned under the Union Railroad Depot. Ropes were considered an adequate fire escape in the 1890s, but when the National Surgical Institute caught fire, they proved unequal to the task. The owners of the Prest-O-Lite Company created the world-famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but their company also had four major incidents that caused eleven deaths and destruction in the city. In 1917, Hollywood was responsible for the deaths of six people in an Indianapolis apartment building. Join Jack Finney as he explores these and other Indianapolis fires and disasters./
Join Jack Finney as he explores these and other Indianapolis fires and disasters./
About the author
Jack Finney has always lived in central Indiana. Born in Indianapolis, he grew up in Plainfield and has called Avon home for the last forty-four years. He retired after a career as a design draftsman. Researching the history of the Indianapolis Fire Department is a hobby of his. He also enjoys reading and has an extensive library, including more than seven hundred books on firefighting, fire apparatus and fire department history. He served as a volunteer firefighter and photographer for the Wayne Township (Marion County) Fire Department for nineteen years. He was also a member of the Track Rescue Team at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1977 through 2016.
