The Bond Dance Hall Explosion

The Bond Dance Hall Explosion

This article relates to The Flower Sisters

Michelle Collins Anderson's historical novel The Flower Sisters draws inspiration from a tragic event that occurred in the author's hometown of West Plains, Missouri: the explosion of a dance hall packed with young dancers, the cause of which was never determined.

It was Friday, April 13, 1928. The Bond Dance Hall was located on the second floor of a brick building; a mechanic's shop called Wiser's Garage was on the ground floor. Most Friday nights, young members of the West Plains community came together to dance there. On this particular night, the band was playing their last song before an intermission around 11:00 pm when an explosion ripped through the building, resulting in flames as high as 150 feet. It collapsed quickly, burying attendees under rubble.

After the explosion, townspeople and rescue workers rushed to the scene and heroically dug through the burning debris for survivors. One account of the incident singles out local high school football player Lester Blackiston for saving several people who were severely injured and could not pull themselves out of the rubble to safety. But given the force of the explosion, the death toll was high, at 39 attendees, with another 23 injured. Most were in their late teens and early twenties.

The cause of the disaster is still unknown, though there are theories. Some speculated that it was gasoline fumes from the garage below the dance hall, ignited by a lit cigarette. A more outlandish suggestion was that a truck that had been left in the garage for storage was full of dynamite. A claim also circulated that Mr. Wiser had set fire to his own garage in an attempt at suicide.

The explosion and subsequent mystery surrounding its origin put the town of West Plains on the map; it was even the subject of a song — "The West Plains Explosion" by Vernon Dalhart. Needless to say, it hit the small community hard. A mass funeral for the victims attracted 7,000 attendees. Missouri journalist and author Lin Waterhouse, who also wrote a book about the disaster, explained in an interview for KSMU Public Radio, "Practically everybody was an aunt or uncle or cousin to each other. So the grief in this town was just unbelievable. Everybody lost someone from their family." Multiple other buildings were destroyed in the blast as well, including the courthouse. A full list of the victims can be found on the website of the West Plains Daily Quill.

Monument to the victims of the Bond Dance Hall explosion, courtesy of Explore West Plains

Filed under People, Eras & Events

This article relates to The Flower Sisters. It first ran in the June 19, 2024 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.