 The school as it appeared before the fire | |
| Date | May 17, 1923 |
|---|---|
| Location | Camden, South Carolina, US |
| Deaths | 77 |
The Cleveland School fire was the fourth-deadliest school fire or explosion in American history and the deadliest fire in South Carolina history. [1] [2] It occurred near Camden, South Carolina, on May 17, 1923, during a school play, killing 77 people.
The two-story school was located 6 mi (9.7 km) southeast of Camden, South Carolina, and served students at all grade levels. [3] The school was constructed primarily out of wood and was lighted only with oil lamps. [3] Two classrooms were located on the first floor, while an auditorium was located on the second floor. A single wooden stairway provided the only access to the second floor. [4]
The school was scheduled to close at the end of the 1922–1923 school year. [3] [4]
On May 17, 1923, the day the school was scheduled to close permanently, around 300 people were attending a play in the school's auditorium that took place after the annual graduation ceremony. [4] [5] [6] The play was a short comedy called either Miss Topsy Turvy or Topsy Turvy. [4] [7]
During the play's last act, an oil lamp fell from the wall, causing its contents to spill all over the stage and ignite. A group of men attempted to smother the flames with their coats but were unsuccessful. [3] The fire eventually traveled up the stage's curtains and then spread rapidly across the ceiling, causing a panic. Spectators rushed towards the stairway to escape. However, many people were trampled to death at the door to the stairs because the door was so narrow. [4]
Others died of smoke inhalation before the flames could reach them. The spectators' excess weight also caused the stairway to collapse, trapping those inside on the second floor of the building. Many of these people survived by jumping out of the school's windows. [4] The school was completely destroyed within an hour. [7]
Seventy-seven people perished in the fire, including forty-one children and the father of future governor of South Carolina, John C. West. [4] [8] Only about one-quarter of the victims could be identified. [7] Those that were not claimed by family members were buried in a mass grave at the Beulah Methodist Church Cemetery. [4] [7]
Kershaw County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 65,403. The county seat and largest city is Camden. The county was created in 1791 from parts of Claremont, Lancaster, Fairfield, and Richland counties. It is named for Col. Joseph Kershaw (1727–1791), an early settler and American Revolutionary War patriot.
Cleveland County is a county located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the western Piedmont, on the southern border of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 99,519. Its county seat is Shelby. Cleveland County comprises the Shelby, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area. It is included in the Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC Combined Statistical Area.
Camden County is a consolidated city-county located in the U.S. State of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,335, making it the fourth-least populous county in North Carolina. Its county seat is Camden. Camden County is part of the Elizabeth City, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Virginia Beach-Norfolk, VA-NC Combined Statistical Area.
Camden is the largest city and county seat of Kershaw County, South Carolina. The population was 7,764 in the 2020 census. It is part of the Columbia, South Carolina, Metropolitan Statistical Area. Camden is the oldest inland city in South Carolina, and home to the Carolina Cup and the National Steeplechase Museum.
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, on Saturday, March 25, 1911, was the deadliest industrial disaster in the history of the city, and one of the deadliest in U.S. history. The fire caused the deaths of 146 garment workers – 123 women and girls and 23 men – who died from the fire, smoke inhalation, or falling or jumping to their deaths. Most of the victims were recent Italian or Jewish immigrant women and girls aged 14 to 23; of the victims whose ages are known, the oldest victim was 43-year-old Providenza Panno, and the youngest were 14-year-olds Kate Leone and Rosaria "Sara" Maltese.
The Iroquois Theatre fire occurred on December 30, 1903, at the Iroquois Theatre in Chicago. It is one of the deadliest single-building fires in U.S. history, resulting in 602 deaths.
Topsy-Turvy is a 1999 British musical period drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh, starring Allan Corduner as Sir Arthur Sullivan and Jim Broadbent as W.S. Gilbert, along with Timothy Spall, Lesley Manville and Ron Cook. The story concerns the 15-month period in 1884 and 1885 leading up to the premiere of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado. The film focuses on the creative conflict between playwright and composer, and their decision to continue their partnership, which led to their creation of several more Savoy operas.
The Rhoads Opera House Fire occurred on January 13, 1908, in Boyertown, Pennsylvania. The opera house caught fire during a stage play sponsored by nearby St. John's Lutheran Church. Of the approximately 400 men, women, and children either in attendance or associated with the performance of the play, 171 perished in various ways as they tried to escape the conflagration.
Yoshi's Universal Gravitation is a 2004 platform game for the Game Boy Advance that was developed by Artoon and published by Nintendo. It features a built-in tilt sensor, which is used to manipulate the game's environment. By tilting the Game Boy Advance left or right, the player can tilt the game area, causing enemies and other objects to slide as the direction of gravity changes. This gameplay mechanic is used to solve puzzles or aid Yoshi in completing levels. The game received mixed reviews.
Topsy-Turvy is the debut studio album by the American rock band The Apex Theory, now Mt. Helium. Released on April 2, 2002, it was the band's last release as a quartet, with the vocalist Ontronik Khachaturian leaving the band shortly after the album's release. After attempting to audition for a new vocalist, it was decided that the guitarist Art Karamian would take over as the band's vocalist. For its 18 year anniversary, in 2020 it was announced on The Apex Theory Instagram account the limited pressing of Topsy-Turvy on 180g Vinyl for the very first time. Serj Tankian repos it. To bring awareness and raise funds for the crisis in Armenia, all proceeds after costs will be donated to Armenia Fund.
The Collinwood school fire was a major disaster that occurred at the Lake View School in Collinwood, Ohio, when a fire erupted on March 4, 1908, killing 172 students, two teachers and one rescuer. It is one of the deadliest school disasters in United States history.
Torchy the Battery Boy is a British television series, the second produced by AP Films and Gerry Anderson, running from 1959 to 1961. Directed by Anderson, it was a collaboration with author Roberta Leigh, with music scored by Barry Gray, art direction from Reg Hill and special effects by Derek Meddings.
Easley High School (EHS) is a public high school in Easley, South Carolina, founded in 1909. The original auditorium is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Brooklyn Theatre fire was a catastrophic theatre fire that broke out on the evening of December 5, 1876, in the city of Brooklyn. The fire took place at the Brooklyn Theatre, near the corner of Washington and Johnson streets, with over a thousand guests attending. The conflagration killed at least 278 individuals, with some accounts reporting more than 300 dead. 103 unidentified victims were interred in a common grave at Green-Wood Cemetery, marked by an obelisk, while more than two dozen identified victims were interred individually in separate sections at the Cemetery of the Evergreens in Brooklyn.
The Gulf Hotel fire claimed 55 lives in the early-morning hours of September 7, 1943 in Downtown Houston, Texas, United States. The fire remains the worst loss of life in a fire in the city's history.
Woodruff High School is a public secondary school in Woodruff, South Carolina, United States, and is the only high school in Spartanburg County School District 4.
The Renaissance Cleveland Hotel is a historic hotel on Public Square in Cleveland, Ohio, opened in 1918 as the Hotel Cleveland. It is today part of the Tower City Center mixed-use complex.
Talespinner Children's Theatre (TCT) is a professional theater for child audiences based in Cleveland, Ohio. Its inaugural season began in early 2012, and since its inception has been based in the Reinberger Auditorium in the Gordon Square neighborhood in the city's Near West Side.
Franklinton Middle School is a public school for secondary education located in Franklinton, North Carolina, United States. It occupies the same building as did Franklinton High School from 1924 though 2011 before a new high school building was constructed outside of town in order to ease overcrowding. This school currently serves grades 6 through 8 for students residing in the Franklinton area. The building was closed for renovations from late 2011 through much of 2013. Middle school students attended Cedar Creek Middle School in nearby Youngsville during that time. It reopened as Franklinton Middle School for classes on August 26, 2013.
Coordinates: 34°12′42.6″N80°31′18.9″W / 34.211833°N 80.521917°W