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UPDATED:
Sunday September 24, 2006 |
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FireNews.net Special
Feature |
Durham Former
Firehouses
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The
Bull City's first fire company was formed in 1876, when a
meeting was held by the citizens of Durham for the purpose of
organizing a fire department. The Durham Fire Company was
created and by 1880 consisted of Durham Hook and Ladder
Company No. 1 and Bucket Company No. 1. Subsequent decades saw
the addition of chemical wagons, hose wagons, and horses. The
first steam engine was purchased in 1903 and the first motor
truck was placed in service in 1915.
Historian Mike Legeros explores the history and five
former facilities of the Durham Fire Department.
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Old Fire Station 1
212 North Mangum Street
Built 1890, Closed 1965
Presently the Tempest Building
Built in 1890 at the corner of Mangum and Holloway
Streets, the original Station 1 was extensively remodeled
in 1922. By this time, the Durham Fire Department was
fully paid, as organized on March 1, 1909.
Changes to the remodeled structure included moving the 829-pound
alarm bell and its tower from the rear to the front of the
building.
In 1965, a new Station 1 was completed at 139 East Morgan
Street. The old fire bell was also moved and is displayed
outside the main entrance.
The 6,974 square-foot historic building is presently an
office building.
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Old Fire Station 3
103 South Driver Street
Built 1953, Closed 1998
Presently a Public Works facility
The two-bay brick structure at the corner of South Driver
and East Main Streets replaced the original Station 3,
built in 1911 in the 500 block of East Main Street.
In 1998, both Engine 3 and Engine 8 relocated to a
new Station 3 at 822 North Miami Boulevard. The 2,380
square-foot structure is presently a Public Works
facility.
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Old Fire Station 4
1801 Fayetteville Street
Built 1958, Closed 1999
Presently a campus police station
Replacing a 1926 building at the corner of McMannan and
Cobb Streets, Station 4 was first staffed by an all
African-American crew. The ten men were Durham's first
black firefighters since the volunteer Excelsior Hook and
Ladder Company of the early 1880s.
In 1999, Engine 4 relocated to a new station at 1818 Riddle Road.
Their 1,088 square-foot former quarters are presently
occupied by North Carolina Central University's police
department.
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Old Fire Station 8
2725 Holloway Street
Built mid to late 1970's, Closed 1998
Presently an EMS station
Station 8 was built as a Public Safety station during the
period that the city combined the positions of police
officer and firefighter. Started in 1970, the
controversial Public
Safety program ended in 1985.
In 1998, both Engine 8 and Engine 3 relocated to a
new Station 3 at 822 North Miami Boulevard. In 2005, a new
Station 8 opened at 225 Lick Creek Drive near the Grove
Park subdivision.
The 1,184 square-foot former station is presently used by
Durham County Emergency Medical Services.
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Old Training Tower
501 Washington Street
Built 1927-28, Closed early 1970s
Presently unoccupied
Constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers in the late
1920s, the old training tower included a standpipe system,
smoke room, and safety net.
Located across the street from the Durham Athletic Park,
the 61-foot structure is adjacent to the old city garage
Both the tower and the old garage are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places.
The fire department's present training facilities are
located at 1008 East Club Boulevard.
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Other Early Fire
Stations
In 1902, an
earlier Station 2 (right) was built in the 100 block
of West Main Street. The two-story station cost $7,500 and
included a five-story hose tower. It was relocated to 1001 Ninth
Street in 1951. The original Station 3 (left) opened in
1911 in the 500 block of East Main Street. The two-story brick
building housed a steamer and a hose wagon. In 1915, Engine 3
received a motor apparatus. It was relocated to 103 South Driver
Street in April 1953. The original Station 4 was located at
21 Holloway Street, just east of Station 1. Opened in 1912 the
building housed a horse-drawn hook and ladder company. It likely
served until 1924, when Station 1 was remodeled. In 1926, a new
Station 4 opened at 619 McMannan Street. The single-story
station cost $14,350. It was relocated to 1801 Fayetteville Street
in October 1958. All of these buildings we
Map
References
Durham Fire Department
Durham Fire Department, Unofficial Site
Durham
County Real Estate Records
National Register of
Historic Places Database
Sanborn Fire
Insurance Maps via NC LIVE
Requires password available from your local library. After logging
into NC LIVE, click Browse Resources and select Maps.
The Series
Asheville Former Firehouses
Charlotte Former Firehouses
Durham
Former Firehouses
Fayetteville Former Firehouses
Goldsboro Former Firehouses
Greensboro Former Firehouses
High
Point Former Firehouses
Kinston Former Firehouses
New
Bern Former Firehouses
Raleigh Former Firehouses
Rocky
Mount and Wilson Former Firehouses
Wilmington Former Firehouses
Winston-Salem Former Firehouses
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- Text, photos, and map by Mike
Legeros, CFP-7474
- FireNews.net Staff
Copyright © 2004 -
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