LODI FIRE

Inscription

LODI FIRE
ON DECEMBER 5, 1913, A FIRE
DESTROYED VESCELIUS HALL, TOWN
OFFICES, STORES, LIBRARY AND
TWO HOUSES HERE. ACCUSED
ARSONIST ACQUITTED IN 1917.
WILLIAM G. POMEROY FOUNDATION 2023

On December 5, 1913, a devastating fire burned down nearly half of the business district in the town of Lodi. Believed to be arson, the fire started at 2:00 AM in the store of the Freudenheim Clothing Company, near the central intersection of Main Street and Seneca Street. Due to strong winds and a lack of resources, the fire spread and it was difficult for residents and firefighters to douse the flames. In the end, several businesses, two houses, the town library, and Vescelius Hall were all destroyed. Two dramatic trials ensued and the case garnered a lot of attention, with some people believing a conspiracy against the Temperance movement in Lodi (in support of a no liquor license law) was to blame. However, the alleged arsonist was acquitted in 1917.

One of the more industrious towns in Seneca County, Lodi was once a thriving town of artisans and businessmen. Vescelius Hall had been a center of social and cultural life in the community for 40 years and included a Masonic lodge, the town offices, two stores, and a meat market. With the total loss of property exceeding $35,300, the great fire economically ruined the town and marked a turning point in its history. Major sources of employment left and the town continued to decline, never fully recovering the same level of business and culture it once enjoyed.