Harry A. Hopple, August 31st, 1869
At about 7 o’clock in the evening of August 31, 1869, smoke was discovered coming from the third floor of 816 Chestnut Street. This brown stone building was five stories and 65 feet deep. It was occupied by Earle’s Art & Picture Gallery. There was a huge stock of oil paintings and art supplies which fed the flames. When firemen arrived and forced open the front door, they found the entire first floor a blaze and spreading to the second floor. During the fire, young Harry Hopple, of the Diligent Hose Co., was working on the roof when he fell through a skylight. He fell some forty feet into an area that was filled with about three feet of water. He was taken to the nearby Scott’s Store and a doctor was summoned. But his injuries were so severe that all attempts to save him failed. He died of a fractured skull about an hour after the fall.
Harry Hopple, a veteran of the Civil War, was 28 years old, a family man and a druggist by trade. He was laid to rest at the Philadelphia National Cemetery.
On September 4, 1869, the firm of James S. Earle & Sons presented a check of five hundred dollars to Fire Marshall Blackburn to give to Hopple’s widow in recognition of her loss. The Diligent Active Association commissioned a portrait of Harry A. Hopple after his death. It was on display at Germon’s Art Gallery at 914 Arch Street in February 1870.
Harry A. Hopple, August 31st, 1869
At about 7 o’clock in the evening of August 31, 1869, smoke was discovered coming from the third floor of 816 Chestnut Street. This brown stone building was five stories and 65 feet deep. It was occupied by Earle’s Art & Picture Gallery. There was a huge stock of oil paintings and art supplies which fed the flames. When firemen arrived and forced open the front door, they found the entire first floor a blaze and spreading to the second floor. During the fire, young Harry Hopple, of the Diligent Hose Co., was working on the roof when he fell through a skylight. He fell some forty feet into an area that was filled with about three feet of water. He was taken to the nearby Scott’s Store and a doctor was summoned. But his injuries were so severe that all attempts to save him failed. He died of a fractured skull about an hour after the fall.
Harry Hopple, a veteran of the Civil War, was 28 years old, a family man and a druggist by trade. He was laid to rest at the Philadelphia National Cemetery.
On September 4, 1869, the firm of James S. Earle & Sons presented a check of five hundred dollars to Fire Marshall Blackburn to give to Hopple’s widow in recognition of her loss. The Diligent Active Association commissioned a portrait of Harry A. Hopple after his death. It was on display at Germon’s Art Gallery at 914 Arch Street in February 1870.
Career History
Volunteer with the Diligent Hose Company