Morning history. This week we’re digging into the history of Winston-Salem’s engine houses, both older and newer. Found some neat notes about the old Station 2 at 301 S. Liberty Street, which everyone knows as the old Salem Town Hall. It became a Winston-Salem fire station when the cities merged in 1913.

Learned that the building’s cornerstone says 1909, but is incorrect and was added by a stonecutter who guessed at the thing [!]. The correct date is 1912 is listed in official documents, such as the minutes of the Moravian church, the organization that found the settlement of Salem. That explains sundry citations, over the decades, of 1909 as the build date.

Also learned that the building first-served as WSFD Station 4, as cited in both Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps and city directories. WSFD Station 2 was located at the old Winston City Hall building. See a prior post about that. WSFD Station 4 was renamed Station 2 in 1919, or so says a Sentinel article from January 1979. City directories from that period corroborate that date. Pretty interesting.

^ One of the original bay doors is also labeled “Rough & Ready Fire Co. No. 4”. At the time of the station’s closure in 1976, the bay doors were larger and squared. They read “Fire Department – Central Station No. 2.” The bay doorways were later restored or rebuilt as smaller and arched. Guessing that was the appearance of those doors when the building was completed.

More Information

Legeros pics of the building from 2005. Need to make a return visit. 

Research notes on historic and former WSFD stations, to be updated with new findings.