Clippings found in Eugenia Coburn's scrapbook.
It was a cool November afternoon on Miry Brook. Beside the newly-founded Wooster School, the home of John D. Hull, a hatter, and his wife, Florence H. Hull, stood quietly, wisps of smoke gently curling out of its chimney. Inside, Mrs. Anna. H Wardrop sat. Perhaps she was listening to the crackle of the flames or taking an afternoon nap. She was about 83 years old, left blind and feeble due to her old age, and was home alone.
Suddenly, the house was ablaze. Somehow, Mrs. Wardrop was able to make her way over to the telephone. She rang the neighbor, but was driven away from the receiver by the heavy clouds of smoke now engulfing the kitchen, leaving the receiver off and her life in the hands of fate…
The date was Nov. 5, 1926, making Wooster only two months old. There would be no gentle settling into the Connecticut countryside – there were adventures to be had!
The huge plumes of smoke attracted the attention of the Wooster students, just 10 boys at that time. They quickly ran to the phone, alerted the fire department, and made their way towards the Hull home.
The fire department received the call, and Danbury Fire Chief Peter Beckerle and his team were off to the rescue! Meanwhile, the Wooster boys had bravely made their way inside. Locating Mrs. Wardrop, they “led the aged woman to safety” and “fought the flames, holding them in check until the arrival of the firemen.” Soon, Chief Beckerle and his men responded to the alarm.
The fire had grown, and even after using all 60 gallons from the booster tank, they had to move to a well. However, this too was quickly pumped dry. With the Wooster boys still on hand, Chief Beckerle put them to work carrying water from the Miry Brook to the booster tank to keep it filled. The pump kept working for over an hour, as did the boys, until the fire was finally under control.
Cautiously, they reentered the home to assess the damage. The house was filled with smoke, and the heat from the flames had been so strong that the windows and pictures in almost every room had cracked. Chief Beckerle put the boys back to work to clean out the burned room and place the rest of the house in order. In total, the damages were estimated to be $1,000, which is about $18,300 as of 2026.
After the event, Chief Beckerle spoke with the Danbury Evening News, saying that he had originally feared that the Hull home would be destroyed “as he did not believe that the water from the booster tank or the well would prove sufficient to extinguish the blaze.” He was also “loud in his praise of the valuable service rendered by the students, and after thanking the boys, telephoned the Rev. A. C. Coburn, headmaster of the school, and expressed to him his appreciation of the assistance given by the boys.”
The Hulls showed their appreciation and gratitude to the fire department and the boys by taking out a section of the same paper as a “card of thanks.”
The former Hull home still stands today, but you’d have no idea that it was once the subject of a daring rescue by looking at it from the road. The tale is definitely a testament to how Wooster’s students have been gentle, generous, truthful, kind, and brave since the very beginning!
Hannah '26
Advanced Journalism Student
