10/11/2025
Moses Biddle and The Cyclone of 1877
Do you notice the scars of buildings which are long gone as you travel down Market Street? Do you wonder what was there before, which left that trace? Those things left behind leave information about what was there in the past, little bits of information which can be researched and investigated to learn more about the past.
The American National Bank, built in 1903 adjoined the building. You can still see the tar-like material which was along the roof-line of the house and a lower building to the rear (perhaps added on later), with its sharply sloping roof. The resident likely had a barn, a garden or a shed behind the home, as did many residents in those days.
Old accounts show that Moses Biddle owned this property. It was his home, described to be mid-way in the half block between the corner and the alley. There were other buildings which were built in a similar fashion, with the long side facing the street, which can be seen in some very old photos of Mt. Carmel and still existing in other towns. The 1886 Sanborn fire map shows this house was built of wood. Apparently by 1886, he had moved to other quarters and had rented out the space as a saloon.
Mr. Moses H. Biddle came to Mt. Carmel in 1828 at the age of about 20. We don’t know if he came alone or with a family but the Biddle name was prominent in the county for a time. Another similar name was Bedell which was sometimes pronounced the same way as Biddle and in fact, some businessmen used both names or first Bedell and then Biddle.
Moses Biddle had several businesses over his life in Mt. Carmel. In 1877 he and his partner, Solomon Keneipp owned the business house and a warehouse on the northwest corner of 4th and Market Streets. Both were injured in the cyclone which blew up 4th Street on June 4, 1877 at about 3:40 p.m. 100 businesses and homes were destroyed and 15 people were killed. The two men were pinned in the debris for about 2 hours. Mr. Biddle was injured in that storm and was not able to fully recover after that time. At the time of his death in August 1883, he owned the brick business house which was occupied by Burns and Co. and had interests in other property. This corner at 4th and Market was known after that, and still is, the location of a bank.
The building which was destroyed at 4th and Market was described as a sturdy brick building, well constructed and seemed in no danger of falling. William Newkirk, fresh from paying his real estate taxes on his farm at the courthouse across the street, was lounging in the back of Keneipp and Biddle store and was found dead in the rubble of the basement of the building. Incidentally, the county treasurer left town immediately after the cyclone and never recorded that Newkirk’s taxes had been paid.
In all the chaos of the storm, a man remembered that Mt. Carmel had no fire fighting equipment at the time, he ran to the depot and telegraphed Vincennes to send their equipment. The Vincennes Fire Department arrived with their apparatus, by train, in 37 minutes after loading up. Many combustible buildings were on fire (from their internal stoves spreading the flames) and the local men, wielding axes and bars were doing their best to move the debris and rescue people and cover the dead. The rain came as part of the cyclone and continued to come all evening. A local newspaper described the terrible night this way, “Torches and bonfires were lighted, and in their glare the search for he dead and the buried living was continued through the night. When exhaustion at a late hour bade a cessation of labor, the grimed and sooty men told each other in lowered tones that it would be increased when the ruins of the wrecked town were more explored. The cyclone lasted only 2 minutes but was not forgotten for many years.
