Last modified: Friday, May 9, 2008 10:36 AM EDT Sections of wall and a few smokestacks are all that remain after the Great Attleboro Fire of 1898 destroyed much of downtown Attleboro.(Photo courtesy of Attleboro Public Library) The Great Attleboro Fire of 1898 BY SUN CHRONICLE STAFF ATTLEBORO - It was one of the most devastating events in city history - though, oddly, it is almost forgotten today. On May 18, 1898, fire swept through the heart of Attleboro, incinerating four acres of prime downtown real estate and almost obliterating the city's thriving jewelry industry. In just under three hours, it wiped out 16 factories and threw 1,500 men and women out of work. Newspaper accounts of the day called it a "fiend," a "roaring volcano," a "crushing calamity." For a generation, it was known as The Great Attleboro Fire of 1898. Now, the Attleboro Area Industrial Museum has received a grant from the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities to research the conflagration. With information on the event spotty and in many divergent places, the museum hopes to use the grant to create a comprehensive collection of related data about it. The museum has hired Carolyn Silverstein, a professional researcher, historian and museum consultant, to gather and organize articles from the newspapers and trade journals, books, photographs, town reports maps, and other sources. Museum officials say it will be the most comprehensive study of the event that has ever been done. In conjunction with the grant, the museum is featuring a display of photos and artifacts related to the Great Fire in its new exhibit. The museum has also developed a historic presentation with a lecture and presentation that covers the town at the time, the fire, the after effects and the people involved. "It is a compelling story with its own heroes," museum Executive Director George Shelton said. "The museum will be scheduling presentations of this local history program with historical societies, library and civic groups and any other interested parties." Anyone interested in scheduling this program or obtaining more information can call Shelton at the Attleboro Area Industrial Museum, 42 Union St., between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Call Shelton at 508-222-3918.