We have noticed that many of Galway's new residents as well as some of the long time residents are unaware that the village of Galway for the most part was destroyed in a huge fire in 1908. For these readers we are offering this brief summary of this episode in the history of Galway Village.

By the early 1900's the village of Galway was made up of stores, hotels, livery stables, churches, manufacturing facilities and was considered the center of a prosperous farming community. On September 17, 1908 a fire started in a barn located next to the Christopher Columbus Shayne livery which was on the north-west corner of the village crossroads. (The Galway Market is now there). The fire burned Shayne's livery, the barn it started in, Willard's store then the Willard residence plus one more residence to the north before crossing the street to McPherson's Hotel then to the Robinson Brothers store and attached storage building. It then jumped to the Van Henning Hotel and destroyed it. A shed in the rear of the hotel was torn down thus preventing the fire from reaching the barn, which stands today, a part of The Village Home and Garden business establishment.

A few years later, in a nearby town, a convicted arsonist allegedly confessed to starting the Galway fire. He is said to have spent the night before the fire in Shayne's barn.

We would also like to remind our readers of the fine scale model of Galway Village as it was before the fire of 1908. This model is located at Town Hall for viewing by anyone interested in Galway Village history. This model, at one time, was on display at the Saratoga County Fair.

There are also color post cards available that show this scale model from various angles plus black and white post cards with actual photographs of the ruins after the blaze.

1. Shayne livery

2. Barn (fire started here) Also

owned by C.C. Shayne

3. Willard Bros store

4. Willard residence

5. Residence

6. McPherson Hotel

7. Robinson Bros. Store, P.O. and

storage building.

8. Van Henning Hotel

9. Barn (now part of Galway Home

& Garden)

10. Presbyterian Church

11 . Residence

12. Residence

Buildings shaded in black were destroyed.

Phyllis Keeler, Town Historian

Tom Cwiakala, Deputy Town Historian