‘Fire and Flame to Suburbs come in the year Nineteen and Sixty-Three’
There was a mountain west of me that, at the turn of century, folks visited to ‘take the waters’ that were allegedly curative. The landscape was dominated by three huge hotels that together could house thousands at one time. All had spacious horse stables; one even had a large free-standing chapel. Of course, what was top of the line in 1910 was old and useless as we left WWII determined to make a new, exciting country.
The Galen Hall was the last-standing and most impressive of the three. With unmatched vistas and acres of pristine greenery, it was still a going concern, albeit one that need to be shined by the sixties.
My father had been up to see the manger, Danny Burack, in the fifties about some insurance matter. Burack had a large very affectionate boxer in his office who demanded constant scratching from guests..
In April of 1963, the castle caught fire, probably arson. Since it was on a mountain, people saw the flames for 10 miles or more. We were blocked from seeing it by our hill, but the chilling symphony of sirens was a once in a lifetime occurrence for our neighborhood. People stood outside listening to sirens that seemed to originate from all directions. This went on for at least an hour, according to my parents. While word got around quickly that Galen Hall was burning, it was still unnerving to hear such an extended eerie aural assault. The night was torn in half; getting relaxed took some effort.
The building was a total loss, only the golf course remains. Mr. Burack disappeared, along with his boat, a few years later off the Florida coast. Aid arrived quickly after his SOS, but not even a stick of his boat remained. Explanations included the mob, the Bermuda Triangle, and CIA involvement (the last because of the boat’s proximity to Cuba).
Around 4 or 5 years later, we journeyed to the mountain on a soft summer night; I had a wonderful and mystical experience. When we neared the area where the hotel stood, there were several large shrubs (or small trees) around 10-20 feet high awash in fireflies. Hundreds, if not thousands, of them split the darkness in an exciting show no Christmas display ever match. Everywhere you looked was flashing. One of those moments you hold close to your heart, trying to will it to last forever. We paused for a few minutes, staring in silence, before leaving what seemed like a dream from Alice in Wonderland.