The 1929 St. Mary fire: ‘In just a couple hours, it was a shell of itself’

While Joe Boggs was researching Monroe’s Prohibition days, he kept coming across another local topic: The 1929 fire at St. Mary Academy.

Always interested in this area’s past, Boggs of Monroe delved into the topic. On Saturday, he presented his findings to about two dozen people at Monroe County Community College as part of a meeting of the Genealogical Society of Monroe County.

Boggs, a 2006 graduate of St. Mary Catholic Central High School, researched the fire at the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Archives and in clippings from The Monroe Evening News, The Detroit Free Press and others regional newspapers.

His half-hour-long slideshow took listeners back to the beginning of the IHM, which was founded by Fr. Louis Gillet and Sister Theresa Maxis Duchemin.

The first school on IHM property was built in 1846 and was located where St. Mary’s Park and parking lot are today. By 1900, there were 229 IHM Sisters who operated 34 Catholic schools in the Midwest. The Sisters, Boggs said, went against the era’s “sit and get,” or rote memory approach, to learning.

“Each child is a child of God. They emphasized reason, logic and love of arts. Women wanted to join the IHM because of their devotion,” Boggs said. “By 1905, they’d grown so much they needed a new school.”

They built the school across the street, on the site of today’s SMCC. The five-story, red brick and stone building was impressive.

“It was the architectural gem of Monroe when it was built. It had a soaring tower and ornate architecture, a modern lab for their female students and the best library in the entire country,” Boggs said. “It had room for 250 boarding students. They were really looking to the future to provide great education for female students.”

The fire

Around lunchtime on June 3, 1929, students Marie Clancy, 16, and her friends were working on the third floor of SMA when they smelled smoke. They went to the first floor to investigate.

“Smoke was billowing out of the paper shoot from the basement, in the west wing of the building,” Boggs said. “Marie sounded the fire alarm. Most kids were at lunch.”

Used to fire drills, the students assembled out of the building as they’d practiced. Others, including novice Sister Margaret Ann Hughes, were walking in town during the lunch break. Sister Margaret heard the fire sirens from afar.

“The Sisters told them, ‘Run as fast as you can across the street to the chapel,’ Sister Margaret later recalled. They were ordered to pray Rosary after Rosary after Rosary for the safety of children. Sister Margaret said nuns were proclaiming the Rosary so often that their voices were giving out in the middle,” Boggs said.

As they prayed, the fire spread, from the basement to the top floor.

“On Elm Ave., chaos ensued,” Boggs said.

Firefighters and neighbors with hoses arrived.

“A problem was connecting the hoses to the hydrant. There was not enough pressure to break the windows. The fire was raging out of control,” Boggs said. “Thousands came to the scene, adding to the chaos. Ladders were trying to reach the top floor. People were panicking and crying in the streets. It was an awful scene. In just a couple hours, it was a shell of itself.”

Eventually, firefighters from Trenton, Wyandotte, Detroit and Toledo arrived.

“All those showed up. It was too much, too late. Fire engulfed the entire school in just a couple hours. Embers from the fire spread into the neighborhood. There were little fires behind St. Mary’s. None became problematic,” Boggs said.

The aftermath

Just days after the fire, Mother Domitilla, school leader, sent a letter to all the students.

“She mentioned how grateful she was to God for this ‘unspeakable favor.’ The school she ran was razed to the ground. What trust and faith in God these Sisters had regarding the future of Catholic education in Monroe County,” Boggs said.

On June 4, the fire was the top news story.

“The news coverage across the entire Midwest was extensive,” Boggs said. “Almost every single newspaper had the story of the IHM fire on their front page. Almost every hometown in Michigan, if they had a newspaper, had a girl sharing her story. Stories told of acts of heroism, a neighbor behind the church going in and out saving historic artifacts. (A priest) went into the Academy chapel and saved the Blessed Sacrament.”

Boggs’ research suggests the fire was caused by a combination of building features, a loaded paper chute and possibly smoking.

“The Monroe fire chief said, despite the appearance of a modern building, it truly was a fire trap. The paper chute, which went from the basement to the fifth floor, was jammed with school papers. Smoking was more fashionable for women. It’s likely someone was smoking and hid a cigarette in the paper chute. I can’t find primary evidence, but that’s the story that was passed down. Other issues helped with spreading. The floor was made of pine. All the halls were lined with wooden lockers,” Boggs said.

Damage was estimated at $500,000 in materials, historic artifacts and students’ personal items. Boggs is unsure if IHM has insurance on the property.

“Mother Domitilla said the most important thing was not lost, no lives—students, nuns and firefighters. It was basically a miracle,” Boggs said.

Almost immediately, financial support and letters of condolence poured in from across the country.

“$1,000 checks from random people came in. Downtown Monroe merchants opened their doors to the kids who had lost their items. They told them, ‘All these items are yours free,’” Boggs said.

Within just a couple weeks, rebuilding was underway on the ruins of the fire.

“It’s really shocking. This was the heyday of the Great Depression. They really took a step of faith. They went into debt. Three years later, in May, 1932, the new school opened,” Boggs said.

SMA operated for another 50 years, before merging with Monroe Catholic Central to form today’s SMCC in 1986.

“SMCC rose from the ashes of the former school,” Boggs said.

Boggs has done research for the Archdiocese of Detroit and is the author of “Prohibition’s Proving Ground.” He was inspired to research local history by a history professor at the University of Toledo.

“He said, ‘Dig where you stand.’ I’ve been doing that ever since. I love local history,” Boggs said.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: The 1929 fire that destroyed St. Mary Academy in Monroe