You’ve seen this map before of Mecklenburg County fire districts in 1959, created by the county firemen’s association. William Kennedy re-created a digital version, using GIS. He posted as a comment in this Facebook posting of ours. Click to enlarge.
Wilkinson Boulevard was the first rural fire department in Mecklenburg County, and one of the first rural departments in North Carolina. Its early history is recounted in a 1951 newspaper feature and a 1948 souvenir booklet. Newspaper Feature, 1951 On May 22, 1951, the Charlotte Observer featured a full-page profile of the county’s then-five rural …
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How many black volunteer fire companies named Excelsior served in our state, back in the day? It appears just three. Shown are Durham (top), Greensboro (middle), and Rocky Mount (bottom). See below for details. Companies Durham Excelsior Hook and Ladder Company Housed at 201 Pine Street, now South Roxboro Street Served from mid-1880s to 1909 …
Guest post by Tom Link, retired Charlotte battalion chief and history buff For those of us who have loved the fire service, we have a special admiration for those firefighters who came before us, the men who built the organizations and established what would become hallowed traditions. For me, the appeal of the fire service …
Continue reading ‘Harper J. Elam and the Little Giant Fire Company’ »
This is a blog version of a Facebook posting from January 24, 2022. Terrible news in Baltimore today, January 24, 2022. Three firefighters dead and fourth in critical condition after the partial collapse at a three-story row house, about 6:00 a.m. Killed were Lt. Paul Butrim, Firefighter/Paramedic Kelsey Sadler, and EMT/Firefighter Kenny Lacayo. Hospitalized and …
This posting is a work in progress. Last updated February 19, 2022. On December 31, 2012, the City of Raleigh Fire Department ended its 100th year of service as a career organization. It was staffed with 575 authorized positions and a budget of $50,483,534. They operated twenty-seven fire stations with twenty-eight engines, eight ladders, three …
Searches were suspended on Wednesday for the light plane with eight souls aboard that crashed off the coast of Carteret County, NC, on Sunday. The remains of all eight occupants had been located, along the plane’s fuselage. The expansive search started Sunday afternoon, after ATC at MCAS Cherry Point saw the craft disappear from radar. …
This is the time of year that attentions turn to diversity and inclusion. And an occasional question to Mr. History is “who were the first X, Y, Z” in the history of the Raleigh Fire Department. Let’s dig into those old (and newer) milestones, and build a list accordingly. Here we go. Inputs welcome, notably …
This is a blog version of a Facebook posting. Reader question. Hey Mike, both Philadelphia and NYC have had their deadliest residential fires in decades. What’s the worst residential/multi-family fire in NC history? Answer: Believe it’s the Guthery Apartments in Charlotte on North Tryon Street on March 15, 1940, that killed nine. Recounts the Charlotte …
On Tuesday, August 16, 1955, at the sixty-eighth annual convention of the North Carolina State Firemen’s Association, a portrait of the late, longtime state fire marshal Sherwood Brockwell was unveiled by his granddaughter, Mary Louise Joslin, daughter of Louise Brockwell Joslin and A. L. Joslin of Danville, VA. The portrait was presented to the NCSFA …