The Bisby Room

The room behind the parlor was occupied by Mr. Bisby, a steady border in the Masters Hotel. Mr. Bisby owned several properties in Burr Oak, including the house that the Ingalls rented where Grace was born.

One night, the saloon between the hotel and Kimball’s store caught on fire. ‘The men were standing in a long line, waiting their turns at the pump. They didn’t seem to be moving and Ma kept saying, “Why don’t they hurry?” Flames were crackling up the other side of the saloon and smoke and sparks were blowing toward us. Mr. Bisby was standing at the pump in his shirt sleeves, his hair and whiskers wild looking. He was pumping as fast as he could pump and yelling with every stroke of the handle, “Fire! Fire!” Then there was a shout and Pa jerked Mr. Bisby away from the pump, filled his own bucket and went on the run. The line began to move fast, every man pumping his bucket full and running. They put out the fire, and when Pa came in he told us that Mr. Bisby had been pumping water into a bucket with no bottom and yelling “Fire!” while they all stood and waited and the fire burned merrily.’(Pioneer Girl, Laura’s unpublished biography)

Ropes on the bed frame supported the straw ticking, and needed to be tightened regularly. The mattress straw was replaced and beaten so any bugs would fall to the bottom of the mattress and hopefully die before they bit. This is one of the explanations for “Sleep tight. Don’t let the bed bugs bite.”

Next: The Parlor