We take it for granted that the Lew Wallace Study, the symbol of Crawfordsville, (and home of the TASTE of Montgomery County) has stood safe and strong for almost 130 years without serious threat. However, several times in its history, the Wallace Study was almost destroyed. A proposed extension of Pike Street by the City of Crawfordsville shortly after the Study was built almost came to pass, but litigation by Lew Wallace thwarted that effort. Just over 30 years later, his grandson was in a difficult financial situation as a result of the Great Depression and the Study building was again threatened with demolition. Fortunately a group of community minded ladies stepped up and the Study was again saved.
Not all the threats came from outside. Lew Wallace designed his iconic Study and created a “man-cave” that reflected his interests and aesthetics. In the Study he created an inglenook, a small alcove with a fireplace and benches. The fireplace was gas fired, and according to one person, it never quite worked right. Perhaps the most serious threat the building ever experienced was because of this gas fireplace. As reported in the Crawfordsville Weekly Journal on June 22, 1900:
Last Saturday when General Wallace opened the door of his handsome study building he was attracted by the powerful odor of natural gas. Willie Thomas, a colored man in his employ, stepped into the hallway and struck a match. The response was immediate as a sharp little explosion threw Thomas off his feet, severely burning him. His injuries while painful are not dangerous. The general escaped more fortunately, his whiskers and eyebrows being woefully singed. He was not burned, however, and is rejoicing that the accident was no worse. The damage to the study was inconsequential.
That must have been a busy day for the Crawfordsville Fire Department as the same Saturday morning the beautiful residence of W.P. Herron on Wabash Avenue was severely damaged by an attic fire. By the time the fire department arrived great masses of smoke poured from every window. The men pulled hoses up through the staircase and flooded the fire which was quickly doused. The paper speculated that the entire second floor would need to be re-plastered, as well as a portion of the first floor and an entire new roof would be needed.
Wallace and those of us who continue to be responsible for the Study are fortunate that the damage to the Study and its collections were minimal on that day in 1900. The Herron family was not so lucky. In addition to the damage to the structure, the attic fire destroyed all their winter garments that were in storage, Lieutenant Herron’s dress uniform and all his keepsakes that had been safely stored from the Civil War including his treasured saddle.
