A 1911 Fire Helped Push Conroe Toward Brick

Conroe's brick-and-stone downtown has a hard old lesson behind it. Around 1:30 in the morning on February 21, 1911, a fire started in the Capitol Drug Store on Chambers Street. That street is now North Main.

The volunteer fire crew had one hose cart pulled by hand. Low water pressure made the fight worse. The post office, meat market, saloon, grocery store, Masonic lodge, store goods, personal items, and homes above the shops were among the losses. Sixty-five buildings burned.

The city council moved fast. The next business day, it required fire-proof materials to protect wood buildings. A year later, the rule changed again and called for brick and stone in the business district. That does not make the fire a happy story. It does explain why a downtown look can come from a town deciding not to rebuild the same fragile way twice.