Published July 12, 2025
By Scott Walker
On December 22, 1899, a tragic fire at St Francis Solanus School in Quincy, Illinois, left 12 children dead and a community heartbroken. I first heard about “The Fire” as a child attending the St. Francis School. Later, as a firefighter and eventually the city’s fire chief, questions about the fire were fairly common, as were requests for presentations on the tragedy by local civic organizations. Clearly, even after 125 years, the tragedy remains an indelible part of Quincy’s history.
The Franciscans established St. Francis Solanus Catholic School in 1866. In 1892, the parish erected a new three-story Gothic school building in the 1700 block of Vine Street, now known as College Avenue, at an estimated construction cost of $25,000. The front entrance featured a white marble angel. Poignantly, it was symbolically placed to watch over and protect the children within.
Under the supervision of the school’s music teacher, Professor Frank Musholt, 16 young girls were to perform in a holiday pageant scheduled for December 26, 1899. At roughly 4pm on December 22, Musholt, with the aid of several Notre Dame sisters, conducted a dress rehearsal with the children.
Five young girls were in a small dressing room near the stage. The girls all wore costumes later described as “gossamer light” and “frilly.” Although the room was equipped with incandescent lighting, a malfunction in the lamps necessitated the use of a gas jet as temporary illumination. According to a surviving child in the room, Lulu Bauman, the girls were playfully dancing about the room when 10-year-old Margeret Werner brushed up against the open flame of the gas jet. Her costume instantly burst into flame, which quickly spread to the other girls.
In a panic, one or more of the burning children fled the room and collided with a group of similarly costumed girls standing near the stage. Most of them likewise caught fire.
Hearing the little girl’s screams, Musholt ran to their aid. Quickly joining Musholt were other faculty; Reverend Leonard, Father Andrew, Gerhard Koetters, and Sisters Theothma, Ephia, Ludwiga, and Radulpha. Together, they fought to rip the burning clothing from the girls and extinguish the flames. All sustained burns on the hands and arms.
Of particular note were the valiant efforts of Sister Theothma. Eleven of the twelve girls were her students, and, despite grievous injury, she fought to save the children. Her efforts would cause such severe burns that both her hands required amputation not long after the fire.
Four of the girls, Coletta Middendorf, Mary Althoff, Irene Freiburg, and Mary Wavering, died at the scene. One of the injured girls, Mary Hickey, ran from the building in a panic to the corner of 18th and Vine Streets, where she collapsed. The owner of a nearby butcher shop rushed to her aid, but little could be done. She died the following morning in her parents’ home.
The other injured children continued to cling to life in the school and received treatment by neighborhood doctors before being moved to St. Mary’s Hospital or their homes. Forty-two of the 92 doctors in the city rushed to calls for assistance but, sadly, to no avail. Within 24 hours, 12 young girls Bernadina Freund, Mary Futterer, Olivia Timpe, Josephine Bohne, Wilhelmina Kottendorf, Margaret Werner, Coletta Middendorf, Mary Althoff, Irene Freiburg, Mary Wavering, Mary Hickey, and Cecilia Vonderharr had succumbed to their injuries.
The tragedy left the city grieving, an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 mourners attended the funeral services on December 24, 1899. Six horse-drawn carriages carried the coffins to St. Francis church and later to the cemetery. With the exception of Mary Hickey, the girls were buried that day in St. Boniface Cemetery. At the request of her grandfather, Hickey was laid to rest in St. Peter’s Cemetery. However, on March 17, 1900, Mary’s parents had her remains moved to St. Boniface Cemetery to join her schoolmates.
The day after the fire, a committee formed with the intention of placing a memorial monument at the girls’ graves. Fundraising moved swiftly and, on October 24, 1900, the community conducted a dedication ceremony for the memorial. Designed by Joseph Freiburg, the marble monument still stands among the children’s graves. On it is a statue of a little girl, the inscribed names of the 12 children, and a scripture quote from St. Mark (10: 14-16), “Suffer the little children to come onto me, and forbid them not. For of such is the kingdom of God.”
Sister Theothma was fitted with clumsy iron prosthetic hands shortly before being transferred to assist at a Milwaukee orphanage. Later, she again received a transfer, this time to Canada. While there, a Canadian blacksmith heard her story, and designed elaborate and sophisticated customized prosthetic hands. They functioned well and even allowed her to write letters. Although spending the rest of her life away from Quincy, she maintained close ties to the community until her death in 1935.
A native of Quincy, Illinois, Chief H. Scott Walker (ret) is a 30-year fire service veteran. After his fire career, he joined the faculty of Western Illinois University, where he taught for 10 years. He now guest lectures and has authored several books in both the fiction and non- fiction genres.
Sources:
“Amputated Both Hands Just Above The Wrists.” Quincy Daily Whig, December 28, 1899, 4.
“Death List Is Twelve.” Quincy Daily Whig, December 24, 1899, 1
“Eleven Children Burned To Death.” Quincy Daily Whig, December 23, 1899, 1.
“Eleven Children Burned To Death During A Christmas Rehearsal.” Quincy Weekly Whig, December 28, 1899, 7.
“Memorial To Dead Children.” Quincy Daily Whig, October 24, 1900, 5.
Quincy Daily Whig, December 30, 1899
Roman Catholic Cemetery Association, Quincy IL
The Sisters of Notre Dame website: https://ssnd.org/twelve-die-in-tragic-fire-1899/
