History Sandwiched In
Wisconsin Historical Museum 30 N. Carroll St., Madison, Wisconsin 53703
press release: In the dead of an unassuming January night in 1883, Milwaukee's Newhall House hotel was set on fire. Two hours later, the building -- once among the tallest in the nation -- lay in ruins and more than seventy people were dead.
From the horror emerged even greater mysteries: Who had set the fire and who was to blame for the staggering loss of life? The Newhall's hard-luck barkeeper? A gentleman arsonist? What of the many other unexplained fires at the hotel? Had the Newhall's management neglected fire safety to boost their profits?
In his latest Wisconsin Historical Society Press true crime history, "Damn the Old Tinderbox! Milwaukee's Palace of the West and the Fire that Defined an Era" (ISBN: 978-0-87020-881-2; Paperback: $19.95), Milwaukee author Matthew J. Prigge illuminates the heart-wrenching tales of victims and the daring stories of rescues that once brought global notice to Milwaukee.
One of the Gilded Age's forgotten calamities, The Newhall House Fire remains among the deadliest unsolved arsons in American history. In an era in which progress often came with a terrible human cost, the life and loss of the Newhall House is a significant chapter in the history of Milwaukee and the Midwest.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Matthew J. Prigge is a freelance author and historian from Milwaukee and the host of the radio program What Made Milwaukee Famous. His work has been featured both in local and national publications and has won multiple awards, including the 2013 William Best Hesseltine Award from the Wisconsin Historical Society Press and 2017 Gambrinus Prize from the Milwaukee County Historical Society. He is the author of Milwaukee Mayhem, also published by the Society Press, as well as Outlaws, Rebels & Vixens: Motion Picture Censorship in Milwaukee, 1914-1971.
EARLY PRAISE
"Damn the Old Tinderbox! brings to life the awful events in such vivid, grisly detail that readers will smell the choking smoke, flinch from the heat of the flames, and suffer the anguished wailing of the desperate and dying. A terrible tragedy, terrifically told."
Dennis McCann, author
Badger Boneyards: The Eternal Rest of the Story
and former travel writer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Time 12:15-1 pm
Cost: Suggested donation of $3/person
Venue: Wisconsin Historical Museum, 30 N. Carroll Street, Madison, WI 53703
Phone: 608-264-6555
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