Onlookers view the smoldering remains of the old part of the West Carthage school in 1954. A firewall between the old school, built in 1905, and the new, built in 1931, kept the blaze from spreading, but the new school sustained significant water damage even though firemen used sandbags to keep water out of the classrooms. The old section was a total loss. Nobody was injured in the blaze, and students were back at school after a week. The photo is from ‘Images of America: Around Carthage and West Carthage’ by Lynn M. Thornton. It is reprinted with permission of Arcadia Publishing.

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