For Betty Martin, Thursday’s dedication of the Cooper Pants Factory historic marker hit home in a very personal way. The Gainesville woman was 2 years old when her mother and grandmother were killed in a fire that broke out at the Cooper Pants Factory during the tornado of 1936 that devastated downtown Gainesville. “This is emotional and brings back memories that I never really had,” said Martin, now 81, of the ceremony remembering the nearly 75 people killed in the fire.
A dark day in history now memorialized with marker
Cooper Pants Factory marker unveiled at ceremony Thursday