Where were you on the night of March 25, 1962? If you were in the city of Manitowoc on that cold spring morning you most likely remember what Fire Chief James Danielson called “the biggest and most spectacular fire ever in Manitowoc.”

It was just around midnight when a fireman looked out a window of the old Franklin Street Station and saw flames coming from Elevator B, formally owned by the Northern Grain Company, which was located four blocks away.

In the “History of Manitowoc County”, written in 1905 by Ralph Plumb, he described, “fire companies made up of volunteer bands of male residents were organized, and, although at first there was little apparatus, nevertheless the needs of the day were met.”

It wouldn’t be until the late 1850s when the village of Manitowoc focused on purchasing a fire engine. Previously it was thought that fire engines were costly and volunteer bucket brigades were doing a fine job. Charles Esslinger became village president and said, “Perhaps we should order two. One for the north side and one for the south side.”

Traditionally, Halloween is not only a spooky time of year, it’s also a time to play harmless tricks on people. But for a suspected group of young boys in Manitowoc in 1898, they set out on the eve of Halloween to put an emphasis on the trick over the treat and tallied up quite the list of damages.