A fire in the Smithsonian Castle,

150 years ago

By Timothy Winkle and Mallory Warner, January 20, 2015

It was a cold January afternoon 150 years ago this week. Joseph Henry, the first
Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, was working in his office on the second floor of
the building commonly known as the "Castle." He was interrupted by a loud crackling
sound from above and, looking up, quickly realized that the building was on fire. The
blaze was the result of a stove that had been incorrectly installed in the Picture Gallery
on the second floor. When it was all over, the damages to the Castle and its collections
amounted to what The New York Times called a "national calamity."

The Washington, D.C.-based photographer Alexander Gardner added hand-tinted flames to this
albumen print, giving an impression of the fire as it raged on January 24, 1865. Smithsonian
Institution Archives, Neg. no. SIA2013-08351
But not all was lost, of course. Today, objects and equipment that survived, and artifacts
collected as a direct result of the fire, are housed throughout many of the museums
here at the Smithsonian, where we still do our best to guard against fire, flood, and even
earthquake. The National Museum of American History holds a number of objects that
speak to the legacy of that tragic day as well as the resilience of the Institution.

Though Secretary Henry's office was destroyed in the fire, along with much of his personal
correspondence, some artifacts related to him, like this telegraph sounder, survived and were
transferred to Smithsonian's collections in 1895
This telegraph sounder was manufactured by Charles T. and John N. Chester of New
York City, a firm that began making batteries and telegraphic equipment in 1855. The
sounder is thought to have belonged to Joseph Henry as part of his experimental
equipment while he served as Secretary of the Smithsonian. As such, it may well have
been housed in the Castle building, where Henry both worked and lived, along with
his family. Indeed, Henry's pioneering work in electricity and electromagnetism in the
1830s was instrumental in the invention and development of the telegraph, as well as
the electric motor and the telephone.
When it came to telegraphy, however, Joseph Henry was not only concerned with
scientific theory. He was also a leading force behind the development of
modern meteorology, and as Secretary, he created a network of over 600 volunteer
weather observers through Central and North America who would send data to the
Institution regarding local conditions. Their timely information was transmitted to Henry
by—you guessed it—telegraph.
After its purchase in 1849, George Perkins Marsh's extensive collection of European
engravings, including this example, was made available in the Castle library. The collection
drew attention, in the words of Assistant Secretary Charles Coffin Jewett, "not from
undiscriminating idlers, but from men of taste and particularly from artists."
This beautiful and detailed engraving, a version of the biblical scene of the adoration of
the Magi by Hendrik Goltzius, dates to 1594. It came to the Smithsonian when the
Institution purchased a large collection of fine art prints and books in 1849 from George
Perkins Marsh, an American congressman, linguist, and diplomat who also served as a
member of the Smithsonian's Board of Regents. The engravings, numbering around
1,300 in total, constituted the first collection purchased by the nascent Institution and
the first public print collection in the nation's history.
In 1865, the print collection was held in the library, which was housed in the West Wing
of the Castle, an area that was fortunately spared from damage by the fire, which was
concentrated in the center of the building. Later that year, with the fire in mind,
Secretary Henry deposited the Smithsonian's library, along with portions of the Marsh
collection, with the Library of Congress. Today, some books and prints from this
pioneering Smithsonian collection are still held at the Library of Congress, as well as by
the National Museum of American History.

A glass leveling bulb and flask from the laboratory of Joseph Priestley
Just six years before the fire, Joseph R. Priestley, grandson of the chemist Joseph
Priestley, donated his famous grandfather's burning lens and condensing air pump to
the Smithsonian Institution. Secretary Henry, who was against the idea of the
Smithsonian Institution becoming a national museum, nevertheless presented the
objects to the Smithsonian Board of Regents as precious scientific relics. He described
the lens as, "undoubtedly connected with the history of one of the most important
chemical discoveries of the latter part of the last century," referring to its use in the
discovery of the gas oxygen. Sadly, as the apparatus room of the Castle went up in
flames, so did Priestley's lens and air pump.
Priestley, however, would once again find his place at the Smithsonian in 1883. After
hearing of the death of a Priestley descendant, Secretary Spencer Baird (Henry's
successor) wrote to the surviving family members inquiring about the potential to donate
more Priestley relics. The Smithsonian, he was careful to note, had recently completed
the construction of a "thoroughly fireproof building" (today known as the Arts and
Industries building) where the new donation could be stored.
Perhaps convinced that these objects wouldn't also meet a fiery fate, the family agreed
to the gift. Today, the gift, comprising more than 20 pieces of glassware and scientific
instruments, remains an important part of the museum's Chemistry and Electricity
collections.
Timothy Winkle is an associate curator in the Division of Home and Community
Life. Mallory Warner is a project assistant in the Division of Medicine and Science. The
Smithsonian Institution Archives has more about the January 24, 1865, fire on
their blog and in historic correspondence.