The fire occurred the afternoon of december 1, 1958. Jim gibbons historical presentations bringing history to life. Website, books help our lady of the angels fire survivors. Saturday, december 1, was the 54th anniversary of the fire at our lady of the angels catholic school in chicago, illinois. The fire occurred at our lady of the angels school and is considered to be one of the greatest tragedies in chicago in the last 50 years. It killed 92 children and three nuns, and put a knife. Firefighting efforts were delayed, however, when the chicago fire department was first sent to the wrong address and then later had to use a ladder as a battering ram to break through a. Our lady of the angels school in chicago, a catholic school, caught fire and burned furiously on december 1, 1958, resulting in the tragic death of 92 children and three nuns. One nun, sister mary davidis devine, ordered her students in room 209 to place books and. This book examines the disastrous fire of december 1, 1958 of our lady of the angels school and church that took the lives of 92 children and. Likely, countless lives have been saved because of these reforms. When the angels came calling national fire protection. Our lady of the angels school fire significant illinois.
A former firefighter and coauthor of a book on the deadly 1958 our lady of the angels school fire was being held monday on charges that he torched a storage building at a north side church. The school was located in a mostly italianamerican middle class community. Links to curriculum information, classroom wikis, and more. Firefighters take students from the fire at our lady of angels school in 1958.
The book is about the fire at our lady of angels school in chicago. But the original section of our lady of the angels was first expanded for use as a school in 1910, and because the fire code in effect in chicago and in illinois in 1958 only required a school to. Death of the angels a book looking back at the our lady of the angels school fire 60 years later. Jims presentation on the our lady of the angels school fire continues to. Cbs chicago cbs on the first day of every december, laura dini detects a whiff of smoke in the air. Books cards and stationery cds christmas gifts and decor coffeecoffee mugs crucifixes divine child divine mercyst.
Cardinal francis spellman, archbishop of new york, lent support by travelling to chicago in the aftermath of this tragedy, and pope john xxiii sent a telegram to meyer. They lived through the horrific fire at chicagos our lady of the angels school on dec. Our lady of angels fire, part 2 firefighter nation. On december 1st, 1958 a fire started in a trash can in the basement of our lady of the angels catholic school, 3820 w. Our lady of the angels school fire significant illinois fires. The story is centered around a small group of survivors of the fire and how the tragedy affected their lives until present day.
When meyer visited the victims of the our lady of the angels school fire with thenmayor daley, he nearly collapsed with grief while visiting the hospital and morgue. Books, videos and museums about our lady of the angels. The play entitled when angels wept by playwright charles grippo had two productions in chicago in 20 and was based on the our lady of the angels school fire. A tightknit faith community was changed forever by the fire, and there was a new public clamor for safer schools as a result. December 1, 1958 our lady of the angels school fire. More than 200 firefighters, from 22 engine companies, seven ladder companies, and ten squad companies, responded to the our lady of the angels school fire. Our lady of the angels school fire, part 1 fire engineering. Angels too soon emmy award winning 2003 documentary created by wttwtv chicago pbs affiliate, featuring interviews with firefighters, survivors and family members. Remembering the our lady of the angels fire daily herald. Chicago even over 60 years later, the our lady of the angels fire haunts those who managed to survive one of the deadliest school fires in u. The fire took place in 1958 and killed 92 children and 3 nuns, sadly this makes it come in at the 3rd worst school fire in history. Yes the nuns told the children to pray, however this book makes it so clear that the.
Book published in 1996 covering the entire our lady of the angels fire. Our lady of the angels fire, part 2 fire engineering. According to the website, cardinal cupich is scheduled to celebrate a memorial mass at the mission of our lady of the angels, iowa street at hamlin avenue, at 2 p. Website, books help our lady of the angels fire survivors cope. In my last column july 30, i referenced the 50th anniversary of the our lady of angels elementary school fire that occurred in chicago in 1958, killing 92 children and three teachers. The mention of a name, the mystery of the angels lost in. Chicago native jonathan cain to release new book west side, il the chicago native writes about escaping the our lady of angels fire and the challenges of. The story of a fire by david cowan, where my body ends and the world begins by tony. On december 1, 1958 a fire at our lady of the angels catholic grade school in chicago killed 92 pupils and three nuns. The fire and outcome told in our introduction was taken from accounts given of the lake view elementary school fire.
A fire 50 years later at the our lady of the angels catholic school in chicago, would not only claim the lives of the innocent, but, would change once again the standards which our schools would be built and maintained. Our lady of the angels school fire december 1 1958 chicago. The our lady of the angels fire was yet another challenge that the city of chicago would have to face in a post world war ii era and the cause of the fire was also undetermined. Tm shortly before classes were to be dismissed on december 1, 1958, fire broke out at the foot of a srairway in the our lady of the. On december 1, 1958, one of the deadliest fires in america broke out at our lady of the angels school in chicagos humboldt park neighborhood, claiming the lives of 92 children and three nuns. Books, videos and museums about our lady of the angels school. This is volume fourof a four volume series of books chronicling the history of chicago fire houses from 19582009. The fire that changed everything our lady of the angels. Author david cowan, coauthor of to sleep with the angels. I think the part the hit me the most other than hearing the stories of the children who i may remove my rating after thinking some more.
It led to changes in fire codes for schools and other public buildings and permanently changed those affected by it, its neighborhood and the city of chicago. The oldest part of the building had been built in 1910, and. Fifty years ago 92 children and 3 nuns died in a fire at chicagos our lady of the angels school, one of the deadliest school fires in american history. Our lady of the angels school closed in 1999, and eventually was renovated, and transformed into a charter school. Our lady of the angels was a catholic elementary school in the humboldt park community in chicago. The school was a two story structure built in 1910 but remodeled and added to numerous times in the intervening years.
Photos of the our lady of angels fire, as well as a list of the firefighters present, is located on pages 3234. In the 50 years since the fire at our lady of the angels, no other school fire has killed more than 10 people. Book published in 2001 covering the most infamous fires that have shaped the history of chicago, including the deadly blaze at our lady of the angels school in 1958. Our lady of the angels fire victims unknown1958 find. It was about 20 minutes before the end of classes at our lady of the angels school on the citys west side.
A most awful inferno, 50 years ago this week the new. Survivors, alumni gather to remember victims of our lady. Saturday, december 1, was the 54 th anniversary of the fire at our lady of the angels catholic school in chicago, illinois. It was located at 909 north avers avenue in the humboldt park area on the west side of chicago, at the intersection of west iowa street. This tragic fire killed 92 children and three nuns. Francis assisi parish in 1991, and the archdiocese rented the church which was undamaged by the fire, to the new miracle temple church of god in christ for 20 years. Ninety pupils and three nuns at this roman catholic grade. John raymond of mount prospect is a survivor of the our lady of the angels school fire. Based on his research, personal interviews and passion, jim explains the details of this event.
Babcock, manager and rexford wilson, engineer nfpa fi remd deparl,en. Three of the sisters who taught at the school and 92 children died. Ninetytwo children and three catholic nuns were trapped and killed. The fire and smoke spread quickly through the school because the door to the. Our lady of angels school fire tribune archive photo firemen rescue an injured girl from the lady of angels schools second floor, after a fire sent twelve hundred students scrambling for their lives. Journeys jonathan cain chronicles growing up in chicago. The 50th anniversary of the our lady of angels fire on dec. She was among the lucky ones, people liked to say, one of the survivors of the fire that struck our lady of the angels school in chicago, killing 92 children and three nuns.
Our lady of the angels school fire never forgotten. Annette szafran was rescued from a secondfloor window 50 years ago in the our lady of the angels school fire. The story of the tragedy at chicagos our lady of the. On december 1, 1958, a fire broke out in the basement of our lady of the angels catholic school in chicago, educational home to approximately 1,600 students in kindergarten through 8th grade. He is also an authority on the 1958 fire at our lady of the angels school, a tragedy that still sears the civic memory in chicago. Our lady of the angels fire survivors share their stories. Author of books on city fires charged with starting one. Tragic our lady of the angels school fire recalled 60 years later. The authors write a pageturning account of the contributing causes of the blaze and of the deaths. But smoke, heat, and flames quickly forced them to the windows. Survivors remember horror of our lady of angels fire cbs. A pretty, brownhaired girl who leaped from a second story window with her body on fire.
Books about our lady of angels fire chicago score a book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. His presentation on the our lady of the angels school fire in chicago, 1958, was extremely popular in 2012, and remains so. The tragedy, painstakingly documented in the book to sleep with the angels by david cowan and john kuenster and the subject of. The our lady of the angels school fire quickly led to reforms in fire codes in schools across the country. More than 44 years later, the smell of smoke still sends some of them into a panic.
In the early 1900s, schools saw an increase in their student population. The fire occurred at our lady of the angels school in chicago in the year 1958. A fire at a grade school in chicago kills 90 students on december 1, 1958 the our lady of angels school was operated by the sisters of charity in chicago. Tragic our lady of the angels school fire recalled 60. Beyond the flames, the story of the fire at our lady of the angels became an. Michele mcbride obituary niles, il chicago tribune. A volunteer fireman explains why the our lady of the angels school fire in chicago in 1958 became so dangerous, and how it could have been prevented. The fire museum of greater chicago features historical information and artifacts from the sixcounty chicago region, including an exhibit for the our lady of the angels fire. Our lady of the angels was an elementary and middle school comprising kindergarten through eight grades. Text 19 aug 4 notes the sorrow of angels in queen of heaven cemetery, in the chicago suburb of hillside, stands a breathtaking memorial to children who perished in a fire.
534 1224 983 1401 602 942 766 485 306 1445 1355 1262 120 1096 274 1001 433 983 69 445 1171 1439 849 151 1294 1442 244 248 398 83 1418 1255 894 1230 756 759 1096 1060 470 379 1017 820 133 159 177