Fire Destroys Talty Landmark

S.K. Adams House burns early Saturday

Forney Messenger
Thursday, 2 February 1989

by Pat Costello

The S.K. “Kirt” Adams house, a 65 year-old landmark in the Talty community, burned to the ground in the early morning hours on Saturday, January 28, 1989. The occupants of the house, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Heidelberg and their 16 year-old daughter, escaped the flames without injury. The Heidelberg’s were renting the property at the time of the fire. The Forney Volunteer Fire Department responded to the call at 2:15 A.M., but found the structure’s upper floor fully involved when they arrived at the scene, according to Assistant Fire Chief Jimmy Roland. The fire apparently started on the second floor of the house, with the Fire Department members able to save only a few items of furniture from the lower floor before evacuating the structure. Two automobiles belonging to the Heidelberg’s were also destroyed in the fire. The cause of the fire is unknown, according to Roland.

Located on the Adams Road, just off FM 2932, approximately 5 miles southeast of Forney, the house was a large two-story structure of wooden construction, built for the Adams family in 1924. The contractor of the 65 year-old landmark was Ed Reynal, a Forney native who lived in the Talty community before moving to Tyler in 1935.

The Adams family children were all raised at this home, which remained the residence of Mr. Kirt Adams until his death in 1987 at age 98 years, a total of 63 years. Mrs. Adams had passed away in 1965. Three of the Adams family daughters still reside in the nearby community. They are Mrs. Kitty Schlebach, Mrs. Patrice Rouvaldt, and Mrs. Margaret Park. Mrs. Schlebach stated that the family members were saddened by the loss of their landmark house, which fostered many pleasant memories of their family growing up in it.” They were very thankful that the Heidelberg family had escaped the fire without injury, the most important concern of all the community.