The largest fire that was ever known in this part of the state of Kentucky visited Olive Hill Monday morning.  
It became known to the town that she was on fire 1 o’clock when the helper engine began to blow her whistle and 
then joined by the shifter engine both of which kept up a continual blast through the air until almost every citizen 
that could be aroused woke up and about the scene of action doing what the could do to save something for someone.  

While there were a few that did nothing those who worked so very hard for people should have a great deal of credit for it.  
We noticed at times that there would be too many people carrying stuff and would be crowded so as to have made it 
better had not so many had been at work.  The fire seemed to originate in the restaurant of Clay and Whitt next door 
to Mrs. Yale’s Millinery store and next door to the pool room, where there was plenty of paper wood frames, which gave 
it all the fuel to make it spread fast and destroy almost two square blocks of the best part of the town, entailing a 
loss of almost $100,000.00, with about $1,200.00 insurance on the entire loss, many of which had their capital, 
or at least some of it, borrowed and are now turned out without even homes or business.

     The loss as best can be estimated from the property holders as follows:

Those damaged by fire mostly were: A. J. Stamper, $24,000.00; N. D. Tabor, $8000.00; Post Office, $1,000.00; 
Mrs. Marshall, $1,000.00; Long Distance Telephone Co., $500.00; Mrs. Yale, $2,000.00; Dr. Morgan, $1,000.00; 
Attorney Thompson, $500.00; Dr. McCleese, $2000.00; Whitt and Clay, $1,000.00; U. S. G. Tabor, $4,000.00; 
J.H. Mobley, $2000.00; Kirby-McCarty Co., $1,500.00; Olive Hill Hardware Co., $1,000.00; Tabor and James, $500.00; 
M. D. Jordan, $1,000.00; L. C. Wilson, S. L. Jordan, $1,000.00; Mrs. Fuller, $1,000.00; James Erwin, $5,000.00; 
Dr. M.W. Armstrong,$8,000.00; J. E. Wallace, $500.00;  J. P. Davis, $250.00; Big Sandy Telephone Co., $250.00; 
Clarence Cohen, $250.00, Carter County Commercial Bank, $1,800.00; Miss Sallie Park, $500.00Proctor and Lightfoot, $500.00; 
C. F. Cooper, $500.00; A. J. Counts, $500.00; L. Oppenheimer and Co., $1,500.00; besides the losses which were 
somewhat smaller than the above.  

The banks were both well protected with insurance and <..illegible..> for $9,000.00  the $24,000.00 loss of his.

It will look as though the above has been figured very small by some of our readers but after a careful survey of all losses 
it will be found that it is not too low for any loss.  The work of rebuilding the buildings belonging to Mr. A. J. Stamper, 
Carter County Commercial Bank, N. D. Tabor, Peoples Bank Building will all begin at once to begin construction.  
It is the duty of every citizen to see that no more buildings are thrown up in the business section that are regular fire traps 
as the ones which caused all this loss.

Copied and transcribed from microfilm of Carter County Herald June 7, 1917.

Submitted by: Mike Barker