Judge Reed Perished in the 1883 Newhall House Hotel Fire at Milwaukee

One of the deadliest hotel fires in U.S. history occurred at the Newhall House in Milwaukee on January 10, 1883 – 139 years ago. By the time horse-drawn engines arrived, flames were shooting from the six-story brick hotel and guests were hanging out of windows yelling for help. Many jumped to their deaths. The devastating early morning fire claimed more than 70 guests, residents and staff. The old landmark hotel, once the finest in the West, was built by merchant Daniel Newhall at the corner of Michigan and Broadway in 1853.

One of the victims of the tragic fire was Judge George Reed of Manitowoc. Born in 1807 in Massachusetts, he came to Milwaukee in 1834 and practiced law. Moving to Waukesha County, Reed served as a member of the first Wisconsin Constitutional Convention in 1846 and as a representative in the Territorial legislature of 1847 and 1848.

Reed came to Manitowoc in 1850, one of the first lawyers in Manitowoc County. In 1851, he was chosen the first president of the village of Manitowoc. He was elected County Judge in 1853 and represented Manitowoc in the State Senate from 1864-1870.

Reed was an early promoter of plank roads, harbor improvements and railroads at Manitowoc. In 1851, he was among local incorporators of the Manitowoc & Mississippi Railroad and served as its president. The business venture failed and no rails were laid due to factional fighting among stockholders and lack of capital resulting from the panic of 1857.

Reed continued to promote railroad development in the state and became president of the Wisconsin Central Railway Company, incorporated in 1871. He remained in that capacity until his death. The Village of Reedsville (originally Reedville) platted along the tracks was named for him. Reed Avenue in Manitowoc also bears his name.

Although many considered the Newhall House to be a fire trap, it was not unusual for Judge Reed to stay at the old hotel. On October 4, 1881, The Lake Shore Times reported Reed, his wife and a daughter had registered there the previous Friday. On the fateful night of the Newhall House fire, Reed was alone in his room on the upper floor of the hotel.

On January 11, 1883, The Manitowoc Pilot reported Hon. George Reed among the lost and missing. It sadly observed, “There is scarcely a hope entertained that he left the hotel, where he had been stopping for a number of days, the evening before the terrible calamity.”

During an examination of the hotel ruins, workmen found his satchel, bank book and a gold watch inscribed “To George Reed, projector of the Wisconsin Central Railroad, from his friends of Stevens Point, Waupaca, Weyewega and Wausau.” His charred remains were found nearby.

His obituary in The Pilot stated, “no man worked with more earnestness or singleness of purpose for the good of that public with whom he had cast his lot than did the old judge whose life went out amid the flames of the Newhall.”

Reed, age 75, was buried in Forest Home Cemetery, Milwaukee, where his name appears on a stone monument erected in memory of those who perished in the fire.

A memorial service was held at First Presbyterian church, Manitowoc. Memorial resolutions and speeches by the Manitowoc County Bar were held at the courthouse, and several tributes appeared in local newspapers.