St. Joseph's Downtown Damaged by Major Fire

Terrible news this morning about a four-alarm fire downtown at St. Joseph's.

Here are some brief clips while we wait to learn how extensive is the damage and confirm that no people were injured or killed. It is an old parish, one of Salem's oldest congregations. For a capsule history, see "St. Joseph Church" at the Mill's republication of the Salem Online History.

March 4th, 1952

March 17th, 1953

April 7th, 1955

August 25th, 1963

Update, September 1st

Initially it had seemed like the whole church might have burned down, but this does not seem to be the case.

Front page today

So while it is a story of rupture and catastrophe for the parish and parishoners, about tremendous loss for people and society and association, it is not so much a story about the urban fabric. I do not think we'll follow it here any more unless the repair project becomes more expansive than mainly restoration, and involves demolition and a new church building. Since the fire started in a dumpster, and a person has been arrested for arson, it is also possible that this will shape conversation around ways we police or aid unsheltered people, and mark a turning point in policy and retrenchment on "the hobo element." These are all very significant, but not primary interests here.