ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A plaque is being unveiled at the state Capitol to honor a man who died when a massive fire tore through the Albany statehouse more than a century ago.

Samuel Abbott, a 78-year-old decorated Civil War veteran, was working as a night watchman when a fire broke out inside the Capitol around 2 a.m. on March 29, 1911.

By the time firefighters arrived, the blaze had grown into an inferno consuming hundreds of thousands of books, historic documents and artifacts. Abbott's body was found on a fourth-floor passageway.

State lawmakers will unveil a plaque honoring Abbott outside the Legislative Library on the Capitol's third floor Thursday, the fire's 107th anniversary.

Legislation for the plaque was sponsored by Sen. Catharine Young, of Olean, and Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy, of Albany.

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