On August 24th

On August 24, 1814, British troops burned the White House, the Capitol and most public buildings in Washington — retaliation for the American burning of York (Toronto). Dolley Madison saved the Gilbert Stuart portrait of Washington hours before; a freak hurricane the next day helped extinguish the fires. The mansion was repainted over the scorch marks.

The August 24, 1894 fire is documented; 37 died. A ghost town's file is unusual: the emptiness itself is documented, and this entry is part of that record. The record holds it as fact — documented, not retold. 'Franklin' documents the entry. It's the sort of fact that gives the haunting reports their context.

The August 24, 1955 incident is documented; the store is a ruin. The site's documented history is the record the rest of the file stands on. This belongs to the verified spine of the entry, the layer everything else is measured against. 'Bryant’s Grocery' documents the entry. Documented ground is what separates this file from pure legend — this is part of it.