Sunday 10/7/2007 01:08PM
Game Over for Checkers Hall of Fame
Roadside America, a site devoted to the cheesiest tourist attractions in the country, reports the sad news that the International Checker Hall of Fame in Petal, Miss., was destroyed by fire 10 days ago:
On September 29, 2007, a still-unexplained fire started in the tower and quickly engulfed the rest of the Hall. Everything: the giant checkerboards, the library, the statue, was destroyed. "What has been lost is one of the finest checkers collections the world has ever known," said Don Deweber, director of the World of Checkers Museum. "It is almost all irreplaceable."
Mississippi TV station WJTV has video of the house. Curiously, the station touts founder Charles Walker's charitable works without mentioning a word about his checkered past -- he's serving a five-year federal prison sentence for money laundering.
In the TV report, somebody named Scott Waldrop credits checkers legend Marion Tinsley with "some of the first algebraic equations." I have no idea what he means -- algebra has been around for 12 centuries -- but Tinsley was a Florida math professor who had an unbelievable mind for the game. When scientists at the University of Alberta announced that they had solved checkers after 18 years, which means no human can ever beat their software playing the game, they analyzed thousands of moves played by Tinsley and found only a few mistakes. Most of the time, he played the game as perfectly as their proof.
Originally published October 6, 2007
Fire probe begins in Petal
George Clark | Hattiesburg American
Muddy debris flies through the air as Petal
firefighters douse hotspots after a fire destroyed
the International Checker Hall of Fame and Chateau Walker.
The fire destroyed about 20,000 square feet of the 35,000-square-foot landmark. No one was injured in the blaze.
Fire officials said Friday the investigation process is going to take a few days because there is four to five feet of rubble to sift through.
Petal Fire Chief Richard Bryant said the city has provided equipment to help clear the way for the investigation.
"We may know something by next Tuesday, but it's not a guarantee," Bryant said.
He said the investigation process is going to take time because of the large area that has to be examined very meticulously.
The International Checker Hall of Fame was known for its Ripley's Believe It-or-Not largest and second-largest checkerboards in the world and international checker memorabilia.
It was founded in the 1970s by Charles Walker, a former state checkers champion.
Walker is serving a five-year prison sentence for laundering drug money. He is incarcerated at the federal prison camp at Maxwell Air Force Base near Montgomery, Ala., according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons Web site. He is scheduled to be released in October 2010.
Since Walker's sentencing, the house and adjacent hall have been lived in by family and rented out for social events and gatherings.
Much of the hall's memorabilia were destroyed by the fire.
Originally published October 2, 2007
Cause of blaze still unknown
|
Originally published October 1, 2007
Checkers fire still smoldering
|
The former International Checker Hall of Fame and Chateau
Walker, which caught fire Saturday, is still smoldering today.
The cause of the fire, located on the 100 block of Lynn Ray Road in Petal, has not been determined because it is still smoldering and firefighters are unable to sift through the debris. Assistant Fire Chief Shane Pickett said that flames have re-ignited twice since the fire was contained. He added that a formal investigation will be impossible until the department is sure the fire will not flare up again. “The State Fire Marshall will be here on Friday along with Petal fire investigators to determine the cause of the blaze,” he said. About
20,000 square feet of the 35,000-square-foot building was destroyed
according to Lt. Tammy Moore with the Petal Police Department. All residents
were able to escape unharmed. |
Oct 5, 2007 04:01 PM EDT
Investigation continues in Checker Hall of Fame fire
An investigation is underway to determine what caused a fire that damaged huge sections of the International Checker Hall of Fame in Petal.
The State Fire Marshal's Office and Petal Fire Department are participating in the investigation.
Fire Chief Richard Bryant says the city is already using equipment to help clear the way for the investigation. Bryant says because the debris is so deep, the process will take time.
The September 29th fire destroyed about 20,000 square feet of the 35,000 square foot building.
No one was hurt.
The Checker Hall of Fame was founded by Charles Walker in 1979 as part of his home. Walker closed the Hall of Fame in January 2005 and resigned as president of the World Checker Draught Federation after his arrest on federal money laundering charges.
Sep 30, 2007 11:12 PM EDT
Petal
No one was injured, but there were four people living in the house at the time of the fire.
About two-thirds of the property was gutted by the flames.
Petal Police say the fire apparently began in the tower section of the home. They also say they will be assisting the Petal Fire Department with its investigation.
Petal fire officials were unavailable for comment today.
Originally published September 29, 2007
Checker Hall of Fame on fire
Firefighters are continuing to battle a fire this afternoon at the former International Checker Hall of Fame on Lynn Ray Road in Petal.
A 911 call was made at 2:09 p.m. today, and firefighters responded at 2:16 p.m., witnesses said.
The building appears to be destroyed.
The International Checker Hall of Fame was built in mid-1970s as a part
of businessman Charles Walker's mansion.
Walker was arrested Jan. 7, 2005, on a federal money laundering charge.
For more on this story, continue to check this Web site and Sunday’s
Hattiesburg American.
Investigators are going through 4- to 5-feet of rubble in hopes of determining what caused a fire that damaged huge sections of the International Checker Hall of Fame in Petal.
The State Fire Marshal's Office and Petal Fire Department are participating in the investigation.
The Sept. 29 fire destroyed about 20,000 square feet of the 35,000-square-foot building. No one was hurt.
Fire Chief Richard Bryant said Friday that the city has already sent out bobcats and back hoes to help clear the way for the investigation.
"We may know something by next Tuesday, but it's not a guarantee," Bryant said.
He said because the debris is so deep, it is going to be a process that takes time.
The Checker Hall of Fame was founded by Charles C. Walker in 1979 as part of his home.
Walker closed the hall of fame in January 2005 and resigned as president of the World Checker Draught Federation after his arrest on federal money laundering charges.
In 2005, Walker was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty. The 74-year-old Walker is serving his sentence at a federal prison in Montgomery, Ala.
According to Walker's grandson Taylor Drake, Walker's wife, two sons and one of Drake's cousins still lived in the home. All of them were able to escape the fire unharmed, Drake said.
The blaze scorched a majority of the main house where Drake said his grandmother's and cousin's rooms were.
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