The Great Fire of Petersburg, Virginia (Disaster) by Eastman Tamara J

Author:Eastman, Tamara J. [Eastman, Tamara J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing Inc.
Published: 2016-06-20T04:00:00+00:00

2

THE GREAT FIRE!

SUNDAY IN THE CITY

The legal and social dominance of the Anglican Church in Petersburg was unmistakable. The church operated under a system of vestries, a group of wealthy gentry who were elected from among men of the parish to run the local congregation’s affairs. Such things as how much the minister was paid were determined by the vestrymen.

The eighteenth-century European Enlightenment had made its mark on Virginia, and by 1815, most of the citizens of Petersburg were subscribing to a more enlightened way of thinking. They had matured into a more secular people by the early nineteenth century, especially since the government had long ceased enforcing church attendance. However, only a small minority of people in Petersburg chose not to attend church each Sunday. But most attended to “see and be seen,” exchange gossip and do business—for instance, they would exchange news about the going price of tobacco, slaves or horses. Sunday was a day of socializing and conviviality.

Sunday, July 16, 1815, dawned sunny with temperatures already around seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit and reaching a peak of ninety degrees that day. The citizens had begun waking early in order to enjoy a leisurely breakfast with their families before heading off to church later that morning. Breakfasts were usually large on Sunday mornings and included hotcakes, eggs, bacon, sausages, biscuits, gravy and grits.

People donned their finest apparel for church attendance—in 1815, women’s dresses had become more decorative, skirts were fuller again and the corset had become a fashion necessity once more. The upper classes looked upon themselves as the guardians of the community’s virtue and felt they had to set the standards of behavior for everyone else. Children were expected to remain quiet throughout the service, with women being put in charge of their supervision.

Church services usually lasted a few hours, and on particularly hot days, it became very uncomfortable inside the sanctuary. Ladies and gentlemen, regardless of the temperatures, were expected to wear complete outfits, including gloves and hats. By 1815, most people had set aside the tradition of wearing powdered wigs. Many ladies carried fans fashioned from silk and adorned with feathers, lace and faux jewels. On a particularly hot Sunday, the flapping of fans could be heard throughout the sanctuary. Some churches handed out paper fans with the words to certain hymns or local advertisements printed on the back. Children squirmed in their seats only to receive stern glances from their parents.

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