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In early
1895, a pair of devastating fires sparked an improvement in
Kinston's firefighting forces. The river city purchased a Silsby
steam engine and 2,000 feet of hose for its volunteer firefighters.
Called Caswell No. 1, the steamer and a homebuilt hose
reel were stored in a newly constructed engine house on the county
courthouse lot. Both pieces of apparatus were hand-drawn at first,
though two horses and a hose wagon were added the next year.
In 1897, Kinston's first water main was installed. In 1898, a
hand-pulled hook
and ladder wagon was purchased and staffed by members of the black
community. In 1904, a new fire department was organized. Named
Caswell Fire Company No. 1, their initial equipment consisted of
three horses and two wagons. In 1908, a second fire company was
formed to supplement the Caswell Company. The East Kinston Hose Reel Company
operated a hand-pulled reel.
An electric telegraph fire alarm system with 25 boxes was installed
in 1913; the first motorized piece of fire apparatus, a 750 GPM
pumper, was purchased in 1918. Ten years later, the first full-time
fire chief was hired.
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Old Station 1
118 South Queen Street
Built 1895 / Closed 1937
Presently museum and offices
Kinston's first fire station and first brick building was
completed in 1895 on South Queen Street.
By 1901, the station also served as City Hall. The second
floor housed the town offices and hose and bell tower had been
added in the rear with a jail underneath.
By 1904, the station housed the Caswell Fire Company No. 1
after its formation that year.
By 1908, a single-story
room beside the building had been added as sleeping quarters
for firemen.
In 1937, both the fire department and the town offices relocated
to 106 West King Street.
Continuously used since 1895 and listed on the National
Register of Historic Places, the building presently houses a
fire museum downstairs and government offices upstairs
Seven fire hydrants from different time periods are
displayed outside the building.
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Old Station 1
106-110
West King Street
Opened 1937 / Closed 1962
Presently offices
In 1937, both Station 1 and City Hall relocated to 106 West King Street.
The fire department occupied the far right side of the
building.
By 1948, the fire alarm system was housed in the jail
building behind City Hall.
In 1962, both Station 1 and City Hall relocated to 203 East King
Street. The new City Hall was dedicated on October 18, 1962.
The 10,920 square-foot former municipal building presently serves as office
space.
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Old Station 2
104 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd
Built after 1930 / Closed 1993
Presently career center
In 1916, the East Kinston Hose Reel Company relocated from
the 700 block of East Caswell Street to 104
North Tiffany Street.
After 1930, their two-story wooden station was replaced by a
single-story brick building at the same location. After
1948, the building was expanded to include sleeping
quarters in the rear.
In later decades, the station also housed an engine and
tanker that responded to calls in the county. The tanker was housed
in an adjoining metal shed.
In 1993, Station 2's 1979 American LaFrance pumper
overturned on South Queen Street.
As the pumper was the last piece of apparatus that could fit
inside the building, Station 2 was closed the same day.
The building is presently used as a career center.
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Old Station
3
1916 West Vernon Avenue
Built 1961 / Closed 1998
Presently car stereo shop
Two identical fire stations were opened in 1961, Station 3
at 1916 West Vernon Avenue and Station 4 at 200 North Plaza
Avenue. Both were single-story brick structures.
Station 3 replaced a single-story structure at 708 North
Heritage Street that was built in 1948 and later replaced by a
parking lot.
In 1998, a new Station 3 opened at 2207 Hull Road in a
facility built by firefighters. The 3,117 square-foot former station is presently
a car stereo shop.
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Central Fire
Station
Kinston's Central Fire Station at 203 East King Street, built in
1962 along with the adjacent City Hall building, is slated for
replacement in coming years. Lot locations under consideration
include near Grainger Stadium off East Vernon Avenue. Central
Fire Station is two-story facility with four apparatus bays facing
East King Street and a fifth apparatus bay facing the rear. The building
also houses the fire department's administrative offices.
Map
References
Kinston Fire Department
Kinston-Lenoir Public Library
A book about the Kinston Fire Department was published in 1981.
Search the Library Catalog for keywords "Kinston Fire"
Lenoir County IMS
Building information is available for
most parcels of land in Lenoir County, including square footage and
a sketch of the structure.
Sanborn Fire
Insurance Maps via NC LIVE
Kinston insurance maps from 1896, 1901, 1908, 1914, 1925,
1930, and 1948 are available online. Access requires password available from your local library. After
logging into NC LIVE, click Browse Resources and select Maps.
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