1963 — May 3, fire, home for intellectually disabled children, Rockville, IN — 6

–6 NFPA. “Summary of Fire Deaths in Hospitals, Nursing Homes and Homes for the Aged.” 1979.
–6 Terre Haute Tribune, IN. “No Indictment Returned in Rockville Fire.” 6-1-1963, p. 1.
–6 UPI. “13 Children Die in Fires.” Anderson Sunday Herald, IN. 5-5-1963, p. 1.
–6 UPI. “Institution Fire Takes Lives of Six Children.” Tipton Daily Tribune, IN. 5-4-1963, p.1.
–6 UPI. “Jury Will Be Called To Probe Rockville Fire.” Brazil Daily Times, 5-7-1963, p. 1.
–6 UPI. “Parke County Jury Begins Probe of Fire.” Brazil Daily Times, 5-21-1963, p. 1.
–6 UPI. “Rockville Fire May Be Probed By Grand Jury.” Brazil Daily Times, IN. 5-6-1963, p.1.

Narrative Information

May 4, UPI: “Rockville, Ind. (UPI) – Fire swept through a home for mentally retarded children here Friday night [May d], killing six children and injuring five others, one critically. All of the dead were between 3 and 10 years of age.

“The operators of the home were not present at the time of the fire but said a ‘friend’ was caring for the children at the time. Two teen-age boys were also in the building along with the 11 younger children when the fire broke out….the six injured were rushed to the Vermillion County Hospital at Clinton.

“William Johnson, who operates the home with his wife, Betty, identified the dead children as Muriel Johnson, 3, Gary; Bryant Smith, 8, South Bend; George Spurgeon, 6, Columbus, Ind.; Linda Landrigan, 5, Greenwood; Pamela Taylor, 10, Indianapolis, and Tamara Wallace, 5, Illinois

“….Clarence Foley, 4, Columbus…was reported in critical condition.

“Rockville Fire Chief Bernard Lee said the fire apparently resulted from an explosion in an electric clothes dryer. Fire companies from Rockville and Clinton rushed to the two-story wooden building just east of the main square on U.S. 36. The fire, which broke out at about 8:40 p.m. (EST), destroyed the building and left only the shell standing.

“Johnson said he and his wife were not in the building when the fire started. ‘We had just walked up to the Legion Post, a half-block away,’ he said. He said a friend, whom he described as ‘an adult’ but declined to identify, was with the children at the time. Johnson said he and his wife ‘returned immediately when we learned of the blaze.’ He said ‘one of the boys’ told them of the fire. The boys were Daryl Cottrell, 16, Mrs. Johnson’s son, and a friend, Gary Shay, about 15….

“Four of the children were dead when taken from the structure, a fifth died en route to the hospital, and the Wallace girl died at the hospital, authorities said. Two of the bodies were found in a front bedroom on the ground floor, two others were found in an adjacent bedroom and the fifth was found in a playroom at the rear of the building.

“Lee said the building was a mass of flames when his men arrived. ‘It was fire all over when we got there,’ he said.” (UPI. “Institution Fire Takes Lives of Six Children.” Tipton Daily Tribune, IN. 5-4-1963, p. 1.)

May 5, UPI: “Thirteen children, none of them over 10, died within a 24-hour period in fires which raced through a home for mentally retarded children in Indiana, a Chicago apartment, and an Ontario dwelling….

“The Indiana town of Rockville saw the worst tragedy Friday night. Fire swept through an old two-story building where a married couple had set up a home for 11 mentally retarded children. The youngsters were trapped in their beds. Six of them died and five were burned, one seriously….

“Investigators said it appeared an electrical circuit into which a clothes dryer cord had been plugged was inadequate to handle the load….” (UPI. “13 Children Die in Fires.” Anderson Sunday Herald, IN. 5-5-1963, p. 1.)

May 6, UPI: “Rockville, Ind. (UPI) – Parke County Prosecutor Earl Dowd said today a grand jury investigation in the deaths of six mentally retarded children is ‘a very good possibility.’….Dowd said he expected to get various reports on the tragedy today from sheriff’s investigators, state police and the state fire marshal’s office. He said results of the investigations will determine his next move.

“The children, ranging in age from 3 to 10, were trapped in their cribs and beds when the fire broke out in an old frame home….

“The Johnsons said they left Mrs. Johnson’s 16-year-old son in charge of the children, who had been retired for the night.

“Two passersby were credited by authorities with possibly preventing the death toll from going higher. Police said they rescued four children, three of them from their cribs.

“The two-story structure was leveled…

“The home operated under a state license. It was inspected and approved by a State Welfare Department investigator only two days before the fire. The home was believed to be one of the few private homes for mentally retarded children operating in the state. Such homes are in demand because state institutions for the retarded are overcrowded.

“Bartholomew County Welfare Director Harold Davis said two of the children involved in the fire were wards of the court and were sent to the Rockville home because there was a waiting list of more than 600 for the Muscatatuck State School at Butlerville. Still, one mental health official said Indiana needs more ‘community facilities’ such as the one at Rockville….” (UPI. “Rockville Fire May Be Probed By Grand Jury.” Brazil Daily Times, IN. 5-6-1963, pp. 1 and 5.)

May 7, UPI: “Rockville, Ind. (UPI) – Parke County Prosecutor Earl Dowd has served notice he will seek a grand jury investigation of a fire which killed six mentally retarded children. Dowd made the announcement late Monday, after studying reports from various investigative agencies. ‘We haven’t discovered anything particularly new,’ he said, ‘we’ve just verified certain rumors.’ He did not elaborate….” (UPI. “Jury Will Be Called To Probe Rockville Fire.” Brazil Daily Times, 5-7-1963, p. 1.)

May 21, UPI: “Rockville, Ind. (UPI) – A Parke County grand jury today opened an investigation of circumstances surrounding a fire May 4 which killed six mentally retarded children….

“Officials probing the ruins after the blaze died down concluded an overloaded electrical circuit into which a clothes dryer was plugged was responsible for the blaze. In Indianapolis, chief fire inspector Bernard Sweeney of the State Fire Marshal’s office said two other factors figured in the rapid spread of the flames – the presence of two large kerosene cans next to the dryer, and the failure of the teen-age boys to call firemen promptly.” (UPI. “Parke County Jury Begins Probe of Fire.” Brazil Daily Times, 5-21-1963, p. 1.)

June 1: “Rockville, Ind., June 1 (Special) – No indictable negligence has been found by the Parke county grand jury in a three-day investigation of a fire that killed six retarded children here May 3….” (Terre Haute Tribune, IN. “No Indictment Returned in Rockville Fire.” 6-1-1963, p. 1.)

Sources
National Fire Protection Association. “Summary of Fire Deaths in Hospitals, Nursing Homes and Homes for the Aged.” Pages 311-313 in: United States Congress, House of Representatives. Fires in Boarding Homes: The Tip of the Iceberg (Hearing before the Subcommittee on Health and Long Term Care, Select Committee on Aging, 96th Congress, First Session, April 25, 1979). Washington, DC, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1979.

Terre Haute Tribune, IN. “No Indictment Returned in Rockville Fire.” 6-1-1963, p. 1. Accessed 8-5-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/terre-haute-tribune-jun-01-1963-p-1/

UPI. “13 Children Die in Fires.” Anderson Sunday Herald, IN. 5-5-1963, p. 1. Accessed 8-5-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/anderson-sunday-herald-may-05-1963-p-1/

UPI. “Institution Fire Takes Lives of Six Children.” Tipton Daily Tribune, IN. 5-4-1963, p. 1. Accessed 8-5-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/tipton-daily-tribune-may-04-1963-p-1/

UPI. “Jury Will Be Called To Probe Rockville Fire.” Brazil Daily Times, 5-7-1963, p. 1. Accessed 8-5-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/brazil-daily-times-may-07-1963-p-11/

UPI. “Parke County Jury Begins Probe of Fire.” Brazil Daily Times, 5-21-1963, p. 1. Accessed 8-5-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/brazil-daily-times-may-21-1963-p-2/

UPI. “Rockville Fire May Be Probed By Grand Jury.” Brazil Daily Times, IN. 5-6-1963, pp. 1 and 5. Accessed 8-5-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/brazil-daily-times-may-06-1963-p-1/