E8 P3-Wrightsville Boys Industrial School-Locked Doors, Lost Boys

When the flames died, the spin began. Governor Orval Faubus tried to shift blame while reporters and investigators searched for answers. Deputy State Fire Marshal Bill Struebing examined the ashes, Dr. Howard A. Dishongh, Pulaski County coroner, signed the death certificates, and survivor Roy Davis kept telling the truth about what really happened. With commentary from Marlon Weems and historical insight from Dr. Brian Mitchell, Tracey Carrington and Steve Nawojczyk expose how the tragedy was buried under politics, payroll scandals, and racism. Jim Hawley and Keith Hulse, former New York City firefights, discuss the blaze. Letters from William Piggee, sermons by Rev. Roland Smith, and the collective defiance of the school’s staff reveal a community demanding justice for twenty-one lost boys and a state that refused to listen.