Final farewell to Killdeer Lodge

Daniel Constanzer, a China Village firefighter, monitors a controlled burning of what remains of the old Killdeer Lodge. (photo courtesy of Mary Ann Constanzer)

The fireplace stands alone as the lodge burns. (photo courtesy of Mary Ann Constanzer)

(Read our story on the history of Killdeer Lodge here.)

On December 15, China Village Fire Department conducted a controlled burning of the old Killdeer Lodge, on Lakeview Drive, in China. The structure that housed memories of a time gone by was burned to the ground and, as so many endings we experience, we are grateful for the memories that can never die or simply go up in smoke. Fire chief Tim Theriault, and volunteer firefighter Daniel Constanzer, left, were on site throughout the day assuring it was done in a safe manner.

Despite a brief period when a bit of wind presented itself, all went well. Middle photo, the famous fireplace stands in the background of the smoldering remains. Below left, inside Killdeer Lodge in its heyday. Below, Joan Ferrone can be seen, in 1995, dressed in a costume in front of the lodge when it housed her husband Jim’s model train business.

Killdeer lodge with its front porch intact (photo courtesy of Jim Ferrone)

The inside of Killdeer Lodge (photo courtesy of Jim Ferrone)