A celebration of the repeal of the despised Stamp Act turned tragic in Hartford, Conn., when six men 
died and dozens hurt in an exploding schoolhouse.
They were “young and newly married men” preparing a huge fireworks display to cap off the town’s big party. Church bells tolled, ships on the Connecticut River flew flags and cannons roared. A “general illumination” was to end the happy day.
Instead, some thoughtless boys, some scattered gunpowder and a little bit of fire resulted in catastrophe.
Stamp Act Repeal
Parliament had passed the Stamp Act in 1765 to help pay for the French and Indian Wars. The onerous tax – the equivalent of a day’s wage for most – met with violent protest. Riots and street protests broke out, and stamp collectors found themselves hanged in effigy or confronted by angry mobs. In Boston, rioters trashed the home of Lt. Gov. Thomas Hutchinson.
Repeal of the tax in 1766 led to huge celebrations.
Rhode Island declared a day of Thanksgiving, Philadelphia illuminated houses and gave out free beer and New York shot off cannons and rang church bells. Boston erected an obelisk under the Liberty Tree with painted transparencies portraying allegories of different phases of the struggle against the Stamp Act.
In Connecticut, the General Assembly declared May 23, 1766, a day of rejoicing. Hartford, then a town of a few thousand people, decided a huge fireworks display would comprise the “general illumination.”
The Exploding Schoolhouse
A history of Hartford published in 1886 tells the story of the exploding schoolhouse.
A number of young gentlemen had come together to make sky-rockets in an upper chamber of the brick school-house, while the powder stored in the room below was being distributed to the militia. Two companies of soldiers had just received a pound for each man, when the powder scattered by this delivery was thoughtlessly set on fire by boys, and in an instant the building was reduced to a heap of ashes, and twenty-eight persons were buried in its ruins, six of whom died after being taken out of the crumbling mass, and the others were more or less injured.
Two hundred men rushed to the scene to search the rubble for the dead and injured. According to a report, “Many were so much burnt and disfigured that their relatives did not know them. In short the scene of joy was immediately changed to the most gloomy ever known in this place.”
Hadstone in Hartford’s Ancient Burying Ground: “In Memory of Mr. Richard Bernham, Killed by ye Bloing up of ye School house June 1766 Aged 18 Years & 3 Months. Son to Mr. Elisha & Mrs. Sarah Bernham.”
It could have been worse. A minister reported that the men inside the schoolhouse had turned away a “considerable number of children” just before the explosion.
J.L. Bell, in his blog Boston 1775, published a list of the casualties from the 1836 book Connecticut Historical Collections, which in turn cited the Connecticut Gazette of May 31, 1766.
Casualties
- Levi Jones, John Knowles, (an apprentice to Mr. Thomas Sloan, blacksmith,) and Richard Lord, (second son to Mr. John H. Lord,) died of their wounds, soon after they were taken from under the ruins of the building.
- William Gardiner, merchant, had both his thighs broken. [He died soon after.]
- Samuel Talcott, Jun., very much burnt in his face and arms.
- James Tiley, goldsmith, had one of his shoulders dislocated, and some bruises in the other parts of his body.
- John Cook, Jun., had his back and neck hurt much.
- Ephraim Perry, slightly wounded.
- Thomas Forbes, wounded in his head.
- Daniel Butler, (the tavern-keeper’s son,) had one of his ancles put out of joint.
- Richard Burnham, son to Mr. Elisha Burnham, had his thigh, leg and ancle broke. [He was nineteen years old, and later died of his injuries.]
- Eli Wadsworth, (Capt. Samuel’s son,) is much wounded and burnt, in his face, hands, and other parts of his body.
- John Bunce, Jun., (an apprentice to Mr. Church, Hatter,) wounded in the head.
- Normand Morrison, (a lad that lives with Capt. Tiley,) a good deal burnt and bruised.
- Roderick Lawrence, (Capt. Lawrence’s son,) slightly wounded.
- William Skinner, (Capt. Daniel’s son,) had both his thighs broke.
- Timothy Phelps, (son to Mr. Timothy Phelps, shop-joiner,) had the calf torn off from one of his legs.
- Valentine Vaughn, (son of Mr. Vaughn, baker,) had his skull terribly broken.
- Horace Seymour, (son of Mr. Jonathan Seymour, Jun.,) two sons of Mr. John Goodwin, a son of Mr. John Watson, and a son of Mr. Kellogg, hatter, were slightly wounded.
- Two molatto and two negro boys were also wounded.
Finding the Exploding Schoolhouse
The story of the exploding schoolhouse had been pretty much forgotten until Connecticut Explored ran a story by Shawn R. Dagle about it in the Summer 2025 issue.
“This is probably one of the most tragic accidents in the history of Hartford,” Dagle said in a press release. “At the time it was essentially a ‘national’ story, covered by newspapers from here to Virginia, yet today it is virtually unknown.”
Kathy Hermes publilsher of Connecticut Explored, and Shawn Dagle, with the tombstone of William Gardiner, a victim of Hartford’s exploding schoolhouse
Connecticut Explored and the Grating the Nutmeg podcast tell the fascinating, often untold, stories of Connecticut’s people, places and events. Click here for more information.
Images courtesy of Connecticut Explored, except for the teapot.
