The Great Fire of Houlton, 1902, started in a coal bin in a storage shed behind the Fogg Building. A high, shifting wind blew sparks that spread the fire south-east from there.

The fire burned 20 business blocks, three churches and 75 houses, displacing 80 families.

Broadway is in the middle ground with the courthouse off to the right. The combination of wood frame commercial buildings and the lack of a water main to tap for fighting the fire contributed to the disaster.