William Penn Remembers Those Lost 100 Years Ago

William Penn ‘Old Main’. Photo courtesy Wilcox Library.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – Members of the William Penn community and Oskaloosa residents gathered at the former location of the Old Main William Penn building, on the corner of College Avenue and Penn Boulevard, near the College Avenue Friends Church in Oskaloosa.

The commemoration ceremony marked 100 years since the devastating fire that broke out at 3:30 a.m. Fred Huxtable and Orville Batten were asleep on the third floor when the two awoke to smoke filling their room and sounded the alarm.

William Penn faculty and students worked for hours to save what they could before the bell in the central section of Old Main gave way, crashing through several interior walls, killing Business Manager Robert Williams and student Harry Oakley.

The Oskaloosa Fire Department continued to extinguish the flames, but by 10 a.m., nothing else could be done.

The entire college community then gathered together to pray and console each other.

On Friday, 100 years after that fire, which claimed two lives and jeopardized the continued existence of William Penn University, university president John Ottosson spoke to those gathered, noting that the idea of meeting on the 100th anniversary of the devastating fire came from discussion generated with the Heritage and Culture Committee at the university.

“I think remembering our past is so important to our future,” said Ottosson in thanking members of the committee.

Ottosson said that the entire Penn family worked together to help rebuild William Penn after the fire and made sacrifices in the following years in order to see Penn survive.

Talking about how Penn has survived and overcome adversity as an institution, Ottosson went on to describe why the school has been special for him personally, starting in his time as a student at Penn.

“This commemoration is important, but only if it creates life today,” said Ottosson. “Let’s remember the sacrifices of our past, emulate the example of lives who came before us so that we unitedly, and Penn in the future, will be strong.”