Fire
is probably man's greatest friend and at the same time man's greatest enemy. On the one hand it give warmness, enlightens the darkness of the night, keeps wild animals away and let forge our ancestors the first metal. On the other hand, it takes human life, especially at night, when it, unwatched by the sleeping human, can spreades and rages free and unrestrained.
So it was happened in Taubach on Sunday Exaudi, the 26th April(Jul.) / 06th May(Gre.) 1674. Starting out from the barns of the farmer Heinrich Fritsch, who had his homestead "unten am Schlage, nach Mellingen zu" ("down at the beating, to Mellingen"), probably at today's street to Mellingen, a fire broke out about eleven o'clock at night. In spite of all efforts to get the fire under control and all fire-fighting operations the fire spread more and more and in few hours Taubach had ended up into smoke and ashes. Only seven smaller buildings and the church survived the fire; all of the 48 dwelling houses together with stables, barns and sheds were burnt and with them the supplies and the few goods and chattels of the Taubachien.
The referred place name "unten am Schlage, nach Mellingen zu" is now no more common. The fire was probably caused by fire raising by "evil people". Like humans believed at that time, they were punished by God, who brought in his godly eagerness the fire upon them because of the sundays and holidays which they had desecrated and other persistent sins.
On Wednesday the 16th(Jul.) / 26th(Gre.) July 1690 a fire broke out between 9 am and 10 am by gross negligence of the widow Mrs Elisabeth Bartholomäus. Since there was a market day on this day, few inhabitants were at home, so the fire quickly developed into a conflagration, which totally burned 8 dwelling houses together with barns and stables to ashes. The children of the widow, the 5½-year-old son Johann-Christoph and the only 1¾-year-old daughter Anna, who were left alone at home, died in the fire and were buried on the day after.
Another fire broke out on Sunday after Easter in 1708, the Quasimodo Sunday, which fell on 15th April that year. In the shepherd's house, which stood next to Mr Hans Peter Kanolt's house, a fire broke out at 9 o'clock at night. Both buildings burnt down, one cow and twelve sheep perished.
The last great fire broke out in Wächter's farmyard on 20th July 1877, now situated between kindergarten and parsonage. This fire also spread rapidly, destroyed 26 residential buildings and 53 secondary buildings. Human life was not to be deplored, but 25 pigs, 2 cows, 1 calf and 5 goats were killed. 145 Taubachien became homeless.