November 28, 2022
2022-11-28T19:00:00
Sanborn Auditorium, Hingham Town Hall
210 Central Street
Hingham, MA 02043
Commemoration of the Cocoanut Grove Fire Eightieth Anniversary
Monday, November 28, 2022
A panel Discussion of this historic Event and its enduring significance Hingham Town Hall Auditorium Monday, November 28, 2022, 7:00 p.m.
Panelists: Tom Carey, attorney; Mark Duff, Retired Hingham Fire Chief; Karen Griswold, Registered Nurse, Patient Safety Senior Manager.
492 people died from a fire at the Cocoanut Grove Nightclub in Boston’s Bay Village area on the night of November 28, 1942. The tragedy shocked the nation, brought about major changes in building codes, fire regulations, and emergency medicine, and led to a precedent-setting conviction of the nightclub owner for the crime of Manslaughter. The Grove Fire is still the deadliest restaurant fire in the history of the United States.
The panelists will analyze the fire (with the aid of audio-visual materials) including recent evidence and theories about its cause, discuss its impact on the community, and describe the aftermath of the fire on laws, regulations, and fire-fighting practices. In addition, the panelists will explore why -- eighty years after the event -- the Cocoanut Grove Fire remains a landmark historical event with enduring lessons not only for today’s society as a whole but also for each of us individually.
Free Admission