Photo from the Gene Scott collection. Photo of Newcastle prior to 1900.Taken from the "Widow's walk" on top of the Newcastle Hotel. Building in the center with the sloped roof is Towle Brothers Lumber Yard, predecessor of the Auburn Lumber Company, but was not rebuilt on this site after the fire of 1900. On the left are the Newcastle fruit sheds. The middle shed says, "W.J. Wilson Newcastle Fruit Shipper". The others are unknown.	Newcastle Hotel Taken sometime before the 1900 fire. Proprietor Martin Van Riper, 3rd from left on porch. His wife Jenny Page Van Riper in buggy. Others unknown. Only known photo of this hotel.	Pomona Hotel Replaced the Newcastle Hotel after 1900 fire.

Click on picture to see large view

Taken from the "Widow's walk" on top of the Newcastle Hotel. Building in the center with the sloped roof is Towle Brothers Lumber Yard, predecessor of the Auburn Lumber Company, but was not rebuilt on this site after the fire of 1900. On the left are the Newcastle fruit sheds. The middle shed says, "W.J. Wilson Newcastle Fruit Shipper". The others are unknown.

The Town of Newcastle burned in the early 1900‘s. The story was carried in the George Kellogg publication, the Newcastle News:
     "Fire Plays Havoc in Newcastle. Every Fruit House in Town in Ashes."
". . .the fire started in the C. F. X ice house about 4 o'clock and in a very short time, the blaze struck the shipping house of Geo. D. Kellogg and then in turn razed every shipping house in town. It did not even stop there, but carried away the Newcastle Hotel, Good Templars' Hall building, J. F. Madden store, the meat market, Henny & Webb's Blacksmith and Wagon shop, John Viehmeier, Jr's. Livery stable, building occupied by the Postal Telegraph Company and Joseph Smith's carpenter shop, the large residence of Postmaster John Boggs, the dwelling owned by Mrs. Homer C. Mitchell, the Culver residence, Towle Brothers Company opposite the Producers's shipping house, the two-story dwelling owned by Miss Nettie Forbes, besides the large loading shed and other valuable property. . .several tramps were arrested–in a sworn statement by one, . . . he has been permitted to occupy a bunk in the ice house Saturday night.. In his statement he said he had turned in about 1 o'clock in the morning and at the request of his partner left a candle burning. It was about three inches long and was placed on a desk in the room. Not being in a candlestick, it is thought, by some, that when it burned down the wood ignited. The tramp was asleep and on discovering the fire, stepped out on a refrigerator car and jumped to the ground bruising himself considerably. His partner did not return to go to bed and this is said to account for the origin of the fire. 
     The watchman who discovered the fire said he thought the sound he heard was the rumbling of a freight train rounding the curve above town."
     By 1905 the town was rebuilt. The fruit sheds at that time were: Schnable Bros.; Pioneer Fruit Company; W. J. Wilson Fruit Shipping Co.; Agricultural implements; a fruit shipping house and a fruit shipping shed. These buildings were located in the same area as those that burned. The Newcastle Hotel was rebuilt, but renamed "The Pomona Hotel".