Boston has been repeatedly damaged by fire…

March 1760 CE

Boston has been repeatedly damaged by fire since its inception in 1630, with serious conflagrations taking place in 1653, 1676, 1679, 1682, 1691, 1711, and 1753.

Prior to 1760 the term "Great Fire" had been reserved for the fire of 1711, which had destroyed the First Town-House, but the 1760 blaze proves to be significantly larger.

During the month of March 1760, Boston suffers from a series of large fires.

On March 17 a blaze damages several buildings in the West End, including the wooden meeting house which stands on the current site of the Old West Church.

On the following day a fire breaks out in a building occupied by the Royal Artillery on Griffin's Wharf and soon spreads to a quantity of gunpowder and weapons, causing an explosion that destroys the building and wounds four or five men.

At about 2:00 a.m. on March 20, a fire of unknown cause breaks out at a dwelling in Cornhill (modern Washington Street, nearly opposite to Pie Alley).

Although the blaze is prevented from spreading much to the north or south, it aggressively makes its way to the east to Oliver's Dock on the harbor, destroying most of the structures in its path.

A veer in the wind causes the fire to change direction toward King (now State) Street, burning the homes on the corner opposite the Bunch-of-Grapes tavern and damaging the warehouses toward the Long Wharf.

On its southeastern side, the fire expands from Water Street to Milk Street, where it consumes many of the houses to both the west and east.

From there it advances via Batterymarch to Fort Hill, taking most of the buildings along the way, and reaches the South Battery.

A panic soon arises over the presence of a large deposit of gunpowder near the battery, but most of the store is hurriedly removed just before the fire reaches the area.

The remaining powder is ignited by the blaze, however, causing a huge explosion which is heard from as far away as Hampton, New Hampshire.

The 1760 fire is described by one contemporary writer as "the most terrible Fire that has happened in [Boston]" up to this time, although it will later be eclipsed by the Great Boston Fire of 1872.

One hundred and seventy-four houses and one hundred and seventy-five warehouses, shops and other buildings are destroyed in the blaze, leaving some two hundred and twenty families homeless, and the total estimated losses of £53,334 hit especially hard a town that has already borne the high cost of the ongoing French and Indian War.

The human toll of the conflagration, on the other hand, is relatively light, with none reported dead and only a few wounded.

In the immediate aftermath of the fire, the Massachusetts colonial legislature advances £3,000 to Boston for relief assistance.

Over the following months, the town will receive several donations from throughout the British Empire as news of the disaster spreads.

The Assemblies of Pennsylvania and New York will vote to send relief funds, while in Nova Scotia a significant amount of money will be raised for the town, and individuals from as far away as London will send contributions.

A petition for assistance is also sent to either King George II or George III, but what action is taken as a result is unknown.

In order to prevent a similar disaster from occurring in the future, the Massachusetts legislature will pass new laws and acts that improve fire safety standards in Boston.

Any new building more than seven feet high that is made of wood will result in a fine, and a committee will be appointed to re-lay the narrow streets of the burnt district.

As a result of the new regulations, the homes that are rebuilt in the area will be made of brick or slate instead of wood.