Bad Fire at Sandstone

From a December 7, 1922, newspaper:

A bad fire occurred at Sandstone last Friday night, when the Webb Hardware store and the garage adjoining the First National bank was completely destroyed by fire. The interior of the bank was badly damaged by smoke and water, and the Masonic hall, over the bank, was practically ruined. The lodge furniture and equipment was burned and the room burned out.

The bank building is on a northwest corner facing the main street. The garage adjoins the bank building on main street and the store building faces the side street, back of the bank and garage.

The fire was discovered in the evening about 11:30 in the rear of the hardware store building. Its origin is unknown. The hardware store burned to the ground and is a total loss, as was the garage building. Four or five cars stored in the garage were also destroyed.

The building that houses the Sandstone Courier printing plant is near the garage with a vacant lot between. The Courier building caught fire but it was extinguished before much damage was done by fire, although machinery and type was damaged by some water.

The bank and garage buildings were built by the late Alexander McEachern between 25 and 30 years ago, who operated the old Superior hotel in what was the garage building, which was then two stories and had a store in the other building.

H.P. Webb & Co. once occupied these two adjoining buildings on the northeast corner of Main Avenue and Fourth Street in Sandstone.

After 1906, H.P. Webb & Co. was located in the wooden building behind the sandstone structure on the corner.  

 Sandstone State Bank purchased the corner building from H.P. Webb & Co. for $5000 in 1906.  Later it became First National Bank.  Notice the adjoining sandstone building on the left and the wooden H.P. Webb & Co. store in the back.

The First National Bank was not completely destroyed by the 1922 fire, but the buildings to its side and rear were.  The bank building was remodeled.  Today it is home to Sandstone History & Art Center.