In the wee morning hours of March 26, 1912, temperatures dipped to 14 degrees below zero. It was the coldest night of the year, and little did residents of Bellows Falls know that a fire was brewing in the square.

The entire east side of the square would end up burning. Firefighters were literally contending with fire and ice. The fire of 1912 would be the worst fire the village would experience, with more than ten businesses destroyed, including the Windham Hotel.

It would take months to clear the debris and begin rebuilding. The entire east side of the square was a row of sadly misshapen ice castles.

Image courtesy the Vermont Historical Society.