Watertown, New York
On May 13, 1849, a fire destroyed most of public square and three surrounding streets, and a lot of the square had to be rebuilt. The fire killed one person, and destroyed almost all of the businesses in the city. The fire destroyed three banks, a post office, three printing offices, two hotels, and thirty shops. It costed $250,000, about $7,529,000 today, to fix the damage. While rebuilding in 1853, the city made two parks in the middle of the square, with a fountain in the middle.