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Our Lady of the Angels (OLA) School Fire, December 1, 1958
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Personal Experiences with Our Lady of the Angels School Fire

If you have a personal experience, recollection or opinion about the December 1, 1958 Our Lady of the Angels school fire, whether you were present at the fire or not, you can relate it here. Any story or information is welcome as long as it relates to Our Lady of the Angels school fire.
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Posted by: Teresa On: 1/23/2011 ID: 543
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Rock Island, Illinois
I was almost 9 years old when the fire occurred, and attended a Catholic school that was smaller but built similar to OLA. I also lived directly across the alley from a 3-story public school that was similar. A year later, our family had to move because our whole block was being demolished, including the school, in order to build a new, single-story public school. In the meantime at my own parochial school, cement stairways, fire doors and other renovations were being done at record speed. If there was any good to come of this tragedy, it's that it gave the entire country a wake-up call.


Posted by: Gail McBrayer On: 1/20/2011 ID: 542
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Terre Haute, Indiana
I remember coming home from school & my mother was making a long distance day time call (unheard of in those days, very expensive) because I had cousins that attended a Catholic School in Chicago & she was terrified that it was their school.
It was a terrifying story that I often thought of, then 2 years ago at my Bible Study class at Suncrest Christian Church someone said she was a survivor of that fire. She couldn't say more than a few words. so I bought the book "Sleeping With The Angels". It was heartbreaking to read, & Otter Creek School was exactly like that building. Within 2 years the elementary school had been replaced with a new building, and 2 years later the rest of the school had been replaced. I'm sure that fire made many schools look at their buildings and relize what fire traps they were.
I was telling my cousins about the book, and they had a cousin who was a Nun there. She had gone back in because some of the children had been afraid and didn't follow the class out of the building. they had to crawl out because of the smoke and she rolled them down the stairs to people below who ran in and caught them.
The remembrance of that day makes me so much more aware of fire exits, drills, and safety. A terrible tragedy that probably saved thousands of lives as the realization of the school building hazards were so suddenly and sadly brought to the attention of civic leaders.


Posted by: Sara K On: 1/20/2011 ID: 541
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before South Side of Chicago
I was 10 when the fire occurred at Our Lady of the Angels. I remember being so freightened and overwhelmed by the stories we heard on the news and the pictures of the children and their families. I heard that children were told to pray rather than run when the fire broke out and I couldn't wrap my head around that. I would imagine myself kneeling at that school while flames swept around me. I knew if I had been there I would have done what I was told, especially at that age. I've never forgotten the horror of that day and the weeks that followed. I am so thankful there is a website to go to that encourages us to relate how we felt that day. God bless all of those families. I hope they knew how many of us also carried that scene with us for the rest of our lives.


Posted by: Barbara Brdie RN On: 1/11/2011 ID: 540
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No After n/a
I am a retired nurse historian and I'm researching the medical and nursing care that the burned children received in the Chicago hospitals. I'm attempting to write about the event for nurses.
I was a pediatric nurse teaching at Cook County Hospital at the time of the fire, and although I did not have contact with the injured children from the fire, I did know one of the student nurses who was part of the County Hospital staff that worked closely with the distraught parents as they struggled to identify their dead children at the morgue. I would like more information about the experience of the injured patients and the medical and nursing care of these children in the hospital. I have read some of the literature on the fire and the children's hospitalization and have began to interview nurses from St. Anne's Hospital where many of the children were taken.
I would welcome the opportunity to speak to some of the burned patients, their families and medical staff that worked with the injured patients


Posted by: Eric On: 1/1/2011 ID: 539
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Sawyer and North Avenue
I was a 4th grader at H.B. Stowe at St Louis and Wabansia in 1958. This was in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. I had come home for lunch on the day of the fire and the uneasy feeling that had been with me all day became more pronounced. Later, I understood it was a premonition. I begged off going back to school and stayed home. That afternoon, when the news about the fire came on the television. A feeling of great sorrow came over me. At school, the following day, the class discussed the fire. One girl said that the prior evening, she and her parents had taken a drive past the school and saw the coats of the kids who had not made it, which I thought was morbid. Since it was the Christmas season, we held daily practices for the holiday assembly. To this day, certain carols trigger memories of this tragedy.


Posted by: weareclouds On: 12/12/2010 ID: 538
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No After n/a
I have always read about tragedies that happened before I was born. I would say I kinda even have a fascination with them. But, coming across this just really really saddens me. I'm 23 and not Catholic (though I am a Christian...Was raised Baptist) But, it really still strikes a cord with me. I have 5 nieces and nephews that are currently in school. And, I pray to God that they are in safe buildings. One of my nephews currently goes to the High School I attended a few years back. And, from what I can remember about it it was semi-safe. It's a two story and there's no outside fire escapes. But, the stairs are enclosed and there's sprinklers installed.

I was a bit depressed not too long ago about them tearing down my elementary school which I loved. But, come to think of it. It had alot of the same features OLA had which just screams 'fire trap' I would hate one of the neighborhood kids or any kid for that matter to have to go through something like this again. I also keep thinking about the fact that my mother was 7 when the OLA fire happened and what if my family was living in Chicago at that time and she went there. It really pulls at my heartstrings.

People today still need to educate school systems all over about how important fire safety is. So, something like this will never happen again.

xo,
weareclouds


Posted by: art gastreich On: 12/4/2010 ID: 537
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before st louis mo
I went to a Catholic School almost like OLA name) SS Peter& Paul school
St.Louis Mo.Brick outside,wooden staircase (OPEN) 3 story high.
Because of that fire my school was closed 1960.
I was about 10 when the fire happened,and I remember my Dad coming
home the next morning.He started to tell the story about the fire,and had to stop because he was crying.SEE MY DAD WAS A ST.LOUIS FIREMEN
of 43 yrs.GOD BLESS Those kids and nuns.


Posted by: Evelyn Hampton On: 12/2/2010 ID: 536
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Chicago, West Side (Lawndale)
I was 11 years old when Our Lady of the Angels school burned. We lived a few miles away, near Ogden Avenue and Homan Streets. I remember how my family clustered around the TV and watched this horrible tragedy unfold. I think the news anchor had tears in his eyes as he read the details. I was a student at Howland Elementary School at 16th and Spaulding Avenues. The day after the fire, most of my classmates brought newspapers to school, and we read them in the school yard before class. The pictures of burned children were terrible.

Schools did not have crisis counselors back then, and we were forbidden to talk about the fire in class. Instead, our school officials came into the classrooms and "inspected" students desks. They yelled at students who had lots of paper in their desks and said the messy desks were firetraps that could kill everybody in the classroom. We had many fire drills. In fact, my class spent one entire afternoon marching up and down stairs. Since this was before schools had public address systems, our fire alarm was a series of coded "bells". Each classroom had a placard with the fire bell codes posted on the wall. For example, 3 bells followed by one bell, followed by 3 bells meant the 16th Street exit was blocked, 3-2-2 meant the auditorium exit was blocked, 3-2-3 meant the Spaulding avenue exit was blocked, etc. My heart goes out to all victims and survivors of Our Lady of the Angels, their families, the first responders, and medical professionals who took care of the victims. I pray a tragedy like this never happens again.


Posted by: Ginger On: 12/1/2010 ID: 535
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Chicago suburb
I was 12 years old and remember watching the news reports that night. It was horrifying and obviously to this day, I still remember December 1st and think about and pray for all involved in that awful experience. I also have family buried at Queen of Heaven and have visited the Angels area and prayed for them. I'm now 64 years old and I can remember that awful day as clear as anything.


Posted by: Jayne1955 On: 11/29/2010 ID: 534
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Chicago near St. Matthias
I was born in 1955, lived by Damen and Lawrence and my parents fought about sending me to a Catholic grammar school because of this fire. It scared my mother out of her wits.

I'm writing a book on fires that led to changes in fire codes. I'm including the Iroquois Theater, OLA, the Hartford Circus fire, the Coconut Grove Nightclub and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. If anyone wants to send me information about the neighborhood, how the fire changed it, or how they think the construction of the building aided the speed of the fire, and what changes were required after the fire, I can always use a new perspective. Anything about reunions or anniversary memorials would especially be of use. I've already read numerous newpaper reports, The Fire That Will Not Die and To Sleep With the Angels.

I'm especially interested in the way famous fires change the area and the lives of the people around it.
You can write to me at setem1955@lycos.com

Don't let the Egyptian god's name in the e-mail confuse you. I used to volunteer at the Field Museum in the Egyptian hall. I'm Catholic and graduated from Mundelein College in 1977.