We all know fireworks can be dangerous if not used properly. A young boy in 1894 found this out the hard way, and it resulted in townspeople coming together in a very unusual way.
Twelve-year old Frederick Griffith was attending the 1894 Fourth of July fireworks display with his parents in Montclair, New Jersey. He arrived with fireworks in his pocket. Children lighting small fireworks was not uncommon in the 19th century.
Sometime during the fireworks display, Frederick took the fireworks from his pocket and lit them. They immediately exploded, severely burning much of his body. A doctor at the scene rushed to Frederick to examine the damage, finding it very severe. He decided to do a skin graft on the young boy (skin grafts began being done in the United States during the late 1860s).
Frederick’s mom volunteered first, offering 100 pin-sized pieces of skin from her arm. His father then offered some skin as well. Over the next few days, people from town stepped forward to offer pin-sized pieces of their own skin. One person offered 175. Another offered 250. Two people offered 300 pieces each. In all, almost 1,800 pieces of skin had been given by complete strangers.
When reporters arrived to Frederick’s house in November to check up on his progress following the skin graft, it was difficult for them to tell where Frederick’s own skin ended and where the townspeople’s began. One reporter wrote of this event as “the strangest contribution made by one set of human beings to another in the whole history of altruism”.
Frederick affectionately became known around town as “Patchwork Boy” and spent his recovery days confined to a bed but in good spirits. He passed the time away reading, drawing and painting, propped up in bed by the window in his bedroom.
No other follow-up story occurred and therefore the rest of Frederick’s fate is unknown.
Early Independence Day parade photos:
Ortonville, MN – 1880
Helena, MT – 1907
Racine, WI – 1872
Racine, WI – 1906 (circus and parade combo)
Seattle, WA – 1898
New York City – 1911
Napa Valley, CA – late 1870s
Indiana (town unknown) – 1909
Salida, CO – 1900
Catesville, TX – 1880s
Deadwood, SD – 1888
Los Angeles, CA – 1871
Snohomish, WA – 1874
Canyon City, OR – 1885
Denver, CO – 1890
Frederick, MD – 1912
