Fire heavily damages historic Monroe house

Historic house at 181 Hammertown Road in Monroe on fire Sunday morning Historic house at 181 Hammertown Road in Monroe on fire Sunday morning Photo: Contributed / Monroe Fire Department Photo: Contributed / Monroe Fire Department Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close Fire heavily damages historic Monroe house 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

MONROE - A historic home said to be linked to the Undergound Railroad during the time of slavery was heavily damaged by fire Sunday and left unlivable.

The state police fire marshal was on the scene investigating the early morning fire which destroyed the home at 181 Hammertown Road. Thanks to a cat, no lives were lost and no one was injured.

Allison Mazadras, sister of the home’s owner, Susan Selk, said her brother-in-law was at home sleeping at the time of the fire. He was awoken by the family cat, then climbed out a window and called for help.

“No one got hurt,” Mazadras said.

The fire was reported around 5 a.m., according to Kevin Catalano, the fire department spokesman. Catalano said the house is historic and dates to the 1770s. He said by 11 a.m. the fire was out but the house was left a “complete loss.”

There were no injuries from the morning blaze. Fire units remained on the scene throughout the morning and early afternoon.

According to town records, the house has an appraised value of $431,000. The colonial style home, purchased in 2006, features three bedrooms and over 4,700 square feet of living space.

Neighbor Liz Lawrence, who lives across the street, saw the home in flames. “It’s devastating,” she said. “It’s a really beautiful house inside.”

Lawrence said she understood the house was used as part of the Underground Railroad that helped ferry former slaves to Northern states. She said the owners each year held a Christmas Party at the house, adding the decorations were top notch.