Historic North Main Street house heavily damaged in Saturday afternoon fire
SALISBURY — The North Main Street Historic District’s continuing efforts at preservation took a hit Saturday afternoon when fire ravaged the C.L. Emerson House at 1008 N. Main St.
“It makes me cry,” said Karen Hobson, executive director of Historic Salisbury Foundation. “Just when we’re making some progress on North Main, something like this happens.”
Salisbury Fire Department responded about 3 p.m. Saturday to the structure fire at North Main and West Miller streets. It proved to be a stubborn fire that prevented firefighters from making entry for a considerable period as flames flared through the second story.
Two ladder trucks were put into action with others on hand.
Smoke cascaded into the neighborhood as many nearby residents took videos of the working fire, whose cause was not immediately known. North Main Street traffic was detoured in this area for several hours.
The house’s new owner, Ricky McSwain of Cherryville, was in Texas on business and learned about the fire by telephone.
Hobson said McSwain had been making good progress on his restoration of the home, which the foundation sold to him last year.
“He’s a craftsman, which is a double loss — to have the perfect person to buy that house,” Hobson said.
The house dates back to 1900, when it was built by C.L. Emerson, considered to be Salisbury’s first oil dealer.
(The Salisbury Post, 2/17/18)