Remembering Suwannee: 1922 Branford fires, Part 2

Eric Musgrove Contributor In the Wednesday, Oct. 9, edition of the Riverbend News, we began looking at disastrous fires that occurred in the town of Branford in 1922. Today, we complete our study into that catastrophic year nearly 100 years ago. By the beginning of June 1922, residents were attempting to pick up the pieces left by the destruction of the sawmill (the community’s major employer), along with the destruction of the power station and other related structures. However, another setback occurred in June when a whole business block on the west side of Suwannee Avenue was destroyed in spite of heroic efforts by firemen and volunteers. “The fire originated in the sto