Elizabeth City Fire Department Early History

This posting presents ongoing research notes about the early history of the Elizabeth City Fire Department.

1820s to 1870s

1827 – Phoenix Fire Company in operation, meeting notice in newspaper. [ECS/NCEI, 3/17/27]

1835 – Phoenix FC monthly meeting notice in newspaper. Notes that their charter, created five years ago, has expired and a new company must be re-organized. [HOTT, 1/27/35]

1850 – Fire company has recently procured hose for their engine, and now seek a reel to wind the hose. [ONS, 4/12/51]

1850, Oct – Meeting at courthouse to form a fire company. [ONS, 10/5/50]

1850, Oct – Meeting was held at courthouse on Wednesday and the Albemarle Engine Company was formed, with President L. D. Starke, Vice President Dr. R. K. Speed, Secretary W. J. Kellinger, Treasurer J. M. Matthews, Chief Engineer W. H. Clark, and Asst. Engineer A. W. Stark elected. [DP, 10/29/50]

1857 – Newspaper editorial laments insufficient protection from fire, including “an efficient engine” that is “wanting.” [DP, 3/10/57]

1858, Mar 30 – Town officials take steps toward buying new engine and hose, and forming two fire [engine] companies and one hook and ladder company. [DP, 3/30/58]

1858, May – Editorial, happy that town officials have “at last determined to purchase two fire engines.” [DP, 5/17/59]

1859, May – Mr. W. H. Clark has purchased two “handsome” fire engines and some five hundred yards of hose, will be delivered in a few days. [DP, 5/24/59]

1859, June – New fire engines delivered Tuesday before June 7, 1859. They were tested the next day. They are named Fashion and United. [DP, 6/7/59]

1859, June – Meeting notice for United Fire Company. [DP, 6/28/59]

1873 – Citation for year Albemarle FC was organized, as cited in 1915 newspaper. [Advance, 6/25/15]

1880s and 1890s

1888, April 12 – Town commissioners approve purchase of Silsby third-size steam engine, two hose reels, and 1000 feet of hose, cost $3,100. With ten year warranty from builder. Will be named Inez, daughter of Scott Bell, who has been “especially active in this matter.” [Mr. Bell may also be or was later a fire chief, as later stories cite Inez as the name of the daughter of the fire chief.] [Falcon, 4/13/88]

1888, May 4 – Steam engine demonstrated on Monday, says news report. Pulled out of the engine house by “four beautiful bay horses” loaned by a townsperson. [Falcon, 5/4/88]

1888, June 22 – Newspaper notice that the Albemarle FC practiced on Tuesday with the steamer. [Falcon, 6/2/88]

1888, August – Albemarle FC raising money for uniforms. [Falcon, 8/17/88]

1888, Dec – New engine house on Main Street. [Falcon, 12/7/88]

1888, Dec – Editorial about the new steam engine working great, but the town needs a water works, to improve the water supply. There are “great complaints” about the wells and they are insufficient to supply the steamer at a “good size” fire. [Falcon, 12/14/88]

1890, Mar – Albemarle FC to receive another horse and have their engine house remodeled. [Falcon, 3/21/90]

1890, Jun 23 – Work has started on the new engine house. [WE, 6/23/91]

1890, Jul 7 – When new engine house is finished, the old one–opposite the Carolina Building–will be removed a house erected on the site. [NC, 7/29/91]

1891 – Sanborn Maps show the fire department in a two-story brick building at 513 Main Street, second story vacant. Building is on the south side of the street, mid-block between Road and Elliott.

1892, Jan 12 – News reports about a Fireman’s Banquet in “Berkley,” with 24 members of the Albemarle FC attending. Also members of the Elizabeth City FC (separate group?) [WE, 1/12/92]

1897, Jun – Excelsior Hook and Ladder Company is trying to procure uniforms. [NC, 6/30/97]

1897, Jul 7 – Building near City Hall has been completed for the Hook & Ladder Company. Has a second story room for meetings. [NC, 7/7/97]

1897, Nov 17 – Excelsior Hook and Ladder Company will hold its first anniversary next Tuesday. [NC, 11/17/97]

1899, Mar 23 – H&L Company and their band was “out on parade” yesterday. [NC, 3/23/99]

1900 to 1909

1900, Sep – The “colored” hook and ladder company recently travelled to New Bern, to a competition. [WE, 9/7/00]

1900s – Snapshot. When a fire was discovered, the alarm was the bell at the courthouse. There were no “all-time” men living at the firehouse and the volunteers ran to the building. They lit a fire in the steam engine and left for the scene. Water was drawn from the river or the many creeks and branches around town. For those areas without water supplies, fire wells had been dug. The hook and ladder cart was drawn by hand. It was later rigged to be pulled by horse. When the steamer was called, firemen had to wait for the horses to “come in from street-cart duty.” When the horse arrived, it was harnessed to the steamer and the reel. By the time it arrived on scene, some 15 or 20 minutes often elapsed. Today, the department boasted of having a stream on a fire within some three minutes of a fire alarm. [Independent, 3/4/32]

1901, Sep – Two “iron gray mares” have been purchased for the hose wagon. [WE, 9/6/01]

1902, Feb – Snapshot. Details from an editorial by Fire Chief A. C. Stokes.

City exempts each fire company member from street tax.
City contributes $200 each year for operating expenses of Elizabeth City Fire Co. No. 1 . Money used primarily for sending delegates to the state firemen’s convention.
City pays Chief and Assistant Chief each $25 per year, and the Engineer $10 per year.
Fire company still has a hand engine built in 1873. But is both “too small and too weak to convey water to any great distance in any quantity or pressure.”
City has water supplied by “channeled creeks, two artificial wells or cisterns and the water front.” And, at times, the fire company has to lay 1,800 to 2,000 feet of hose to those sources. And, if there’s a large fire, that one hose line must be divided into two or three streams, which reduces its efficiency.
During day hours, there’s a delay of the arrival of the horses “from the street working operation,” which adds 10 to 13 minutes.
The steam engine does not have a water heater, so building steam requires eight to ten minutes of delay.
Last month, in January, there were six alarms sounded. Four were “because someone saw a chimney blazing” and two were because the fire chief “wanted to see the boys run.” The chief then admonished the citizens for these false alarms.
The fire company has 24 men. The Hook and Ladder Company has 52 men. [TH, 2/4/02]

1902, Mar – American Fire Engine Co. shipping a “relief engine” while Inez is sent to factory for repairs. Inez will be equipped with a “Fox patent tubular boiler” and a new and larger second- pump. But, notes the newspaper, the city needs two engines. [TH, 3/28/02]

1902, Apr 10 – New fire engine arrived Thursday night, and the old one (Inez) has been shipped for repairs. [NC, 4/10/02]

1902, Apr 25 – On Tuesday night, an alarm from the fifth ward brought the fire department. They arrived only to find the “colored” hook and ladder “in control of the blaze.” [TH, 4/25/02]

1902, Jun 6 – A. C. Shokes has been reelected as foreman of the Elizabeth City FC No. 1. He is also chief of the fire department and has been for several years. The company was formerly named the Albemarle FC (if reading correctly). ECFD has also purchased two new horses, a new hook and ladder truck, 500 double-jacked hose, and boots and coats. [TH, 6/6/02]

1902, June 6 – Town officials appoint a committee of one to purchase a second fire engine. It has been long-needed. “Repeated conflagrations of the past weeks”–and the latest two “disastrous fires” have spurned town officials to action. [TH, 6/6/02]

1902, June 9 – Town officials approved purchase of a second fire engine. [MP, 6/10/02]

1902, Jun 27 – At meeting of ECFC No. 1, they were presented with a $20 check by two people, in appreciation for “services rendered during the Bergeron saloon fire.” [TH, 6/27/02]

1902, Jul – Rebuilt steamer Inez arrived on the Tuesday before July 11. Weighs 7,000 pounds. [TH, 6/27/02, WE 7/11/02]

1902, Jul – ECFC took the steamer and a pair of horses to Raleigh, via rail [?], for the annual firemen’s tournament. With 22 men and dressed in new uniforms, that arrived on Tuesday. [WE, 7/11/02, 7/18/02]

1902, Jul 25 – Second steamer has been ordered, cost $5,250, and will be named Betsy, for the “old lady” that donated the land that the city resides upon. [WE, 7/25/02, TH, 10/31/02]

1902, Aug 29 – Editorial recommends that a water heater be added at the firehouse, so the steam engine(s) can improve their ability to deliver faster pumped water. [TH, 8/29/02]

1902, Oct 30 – Second steamer has arrived, built by American Fire Engine Co. Was unloaded the Sunday before October 31, from a railroad flat car. [NC, 10/30/02, TH, 10/31/02, TH, 11/07/02]

1902, Dec 12 – Elisah Overton is captain of the colored Rescue Hook and Ladder Co. [TH, 12/12/02]

1903, Jan 9 – Firehouse has a telephone, or will be getting one. [WE, 1/9/03]

1908- Sanborn Maps shows the hose house located at city hall, a two-story building with a bell tower at the northeast corner of E. Mathews and N. Pool. The hook and ladder truck is stored at 46 N. Pool, just north of the hose house.

1909, Aug 6 – City officials have approved $100 for the purpose of a vacation to the Hook and Ladder Co., the “colored auxiliary” of ECFD. This has been customary for several years. [TH, 8/6/09]

1910s

1910, Aug 5 – EC firemen are due to return from Atlantic City, NJ, and will likely entertain Portsmouth Hook and Ladder Co. No. 1, who are expected to spend Labor Day in EC as guests of ECFD members. [TH, 8/5/10]

1913, Apr 8 – Town officials considering buying an auto fire truck. [Advance, 4/8/13]

1913, May 9 – Town officials decline to buy auto truck, and instead approve purchase of a new horse. The present town board isn’t disposed toward such a purchase, but the new board may “be induced to purchase one.” [Advance, 5/9/13]

1914 – First fire truck, $5,550. [DA, 1/22/23]

1914 – Sanborn Maps shows the fire station on the ground floor of a two-story building on the northeast corner of E. Mathews and N. Pool. City offices occupy the second floor.

1914 – Sanborn Maps description:

97 fire hydrants
14 alarm boxes
Volunteer members.
One engine and hose company of 14 members.
One colored hook and ladder company of 40 members.
One hostler on constant duty.
Seven horses used for street work, one horse in constant readiness.
One Silsby 1st class steamer
One Silsby 2nd class steamer
One one-horse hose wagon with 600 feet hose.
One two-horse hose wagon with 900 feet hose.
One hook and ladder truck with 70 feet of ladders.
Total hose, 2500 feet in good condition, 1000 feet in poor condition.

1915, Jun 25 – Snapshot. ECFD has two steamers, two horse-drawn hose wagons, a hook and ladder truck, and a combination motor truck with a 75HP engine. The motor truck is named Minnie Lee, for the daughter of the fire chief.

1917 – First motor pumper, $10,500. [DA, 1/22/23]

1917, Oct 4 – New fire truck was ordered several weeks ago. The $9,000 truck should arrived in a few days. [DA, 10/4/17]

1917, Oct 17 – New fire truck arrived Tuesday evening. It is named Virginia. It was used to “thoroughly” wash out the interior of the firehouse, and “all of the cobwebs” “over the stables” were washed away. [DA, 10/17/17, 10/24/17]

1920s

1921 – Second motor pumper, $12,500. [DA, 1/22/23]

1921, Feb 16 – Fire Chief Flora recommends additional equipment: One “modern turntable aerial” ladder truck, with “55-foot extension automatic hoist ladder,” cost about $14,000. Another triple combination fire truck, 750 GPM, similar to Virginia, cost about $1,2000. Two-thousand feet of standard 2 1/2-inch hose, cost about $2,500. [DA, 2/16/21]

1921, Feb 25 – Legislative bill creating a fire commission to govern ECFD is awaiting passage. [DA, 2/25/21]

1921, Oct 24 – New $12,500 fire truck arrived. The triple-combination pumper has a 750 GPM pump, 1200 feet of hose, and two 32-foot scaling ladders. It arrived Saturday and was accepted after a test on Monday. It will be named “No. 3.” It is also equipped with a “self-starter” and a small light under the hood, for “repairs and adjustments at night.” [DA, 10/24/21]

1921, Nov 1 – Plan underway to enlarge firehouse at City Hall building on Matthews Street. Plan to remodel front part of upper floor, currently used by City Council for meetings, into an “assembly and lounging room, sleeping quarters, and a well-furnished bath room.” Enlarged quarters would help members keep their boots, coats, hats, etc., in the building and make it easier for them to grab them on the way to a fire and without “loss of time or damage to their regular street clothes.” ECFD is mostly volunteer, with only three members on salary. [DA, 11/1/21]

1922, Oct 20 – Bids will opened October 27 for construction of a new hook and ladder house, to house new $6,500 American LaFrance motorized serice ladder truck. The addition will improve the town’s fire insurance rating. The renovation of the firehouse at city hall, however, is being funded by “popular subscriptions.” [DA, 10/20/22]

1922, Nov 24 – Snapshot. Construction of a $1,500 firehouse addition is underway to house the newest pumper. Also underway is fundraising by the Kiwanas Club to raise $4,000 for renovations to the upper story of the firehouse, to add living quarters. The new ladder truck was expected in December. ECFD has two American LaFrance Type 75 triple combination pumpers, both 750 GPM, one American LaFrance Type 10 combination hose and chemical car, one steam engine, 500 GPM, two [?] horse-drawn ladder [hose?] wagons, plus 6,000 feet of hose, 235 feet of ladders [Independent, 11/24/22, 12/12/22]

1921 – Legislation authorized for an Elizabeth City Fire Commission. [Indy, 12/12/22]

1921, early – Fire Commission created, three men, one from the Merchants’ Association, from from Chamber of Commerce, and once from ECFD. With four, three, and two year terms. The commission addressed three of the biggest fires in the history of EC in the winter of 1920-21, the Foreman-Derrickson Veneering Company ($75,000), the Kramer-Moss Co. ($25,000), and the Siff Building ($70,000). After the fire, Chief Flora addressed the Merchants Association with the need for better equipment, and legislation was initiated for a fire commission. With the ECFC, the fire department no longer “bothers” the city board or staff with its matters.

1923 – Sanborn Maps shows the fire station as a two-story building on the northeast corner of E. Mathews and N. Pool.

1923 – Sanborn Maps description:

105 fire hydrants
16 alarm boxes
Court house bell and electric siren at fire station, for alarms
Two volunteer companies, part-paid. One fully-paid chief, one volunteer assistant chief. Three paid drives and 22 volunteers in Company No. 1, one paid driver and 12 volunteers in Company No. 2 (colored).
One American LaFrance chemical and hose truck.
Two American LaFrance chemical, pump, and hose trucks, 750 GPM each.
One Brockway hook and ladder truck, 251 feet of ladders.
One Silsby 1st class steam engine.
6000 feet of hose in good condition, 1500 feet of hose in reserve.

1923, Jan 10 – New Brockway/American LaFrance ladder truck has arrived. With 40 gallon chemical tank and 235 feet of ladders, including a 50-foot ladder. Cost $6,500. [DA, 1/10/23]

1923, Jan 22 – New house has just been built behind the engine house for the new ladder truck, operated by the colored Quick Step Hook and Ladder Company. [DA, 1/22/23]

1928 – Southeastern Underwriters Association visits town and recommends a “first class rate” provided that (a.) a full-time assistant chief be hired, (b.) additional full-time firefighters be hired so at least six will be on duty 24/7, in addition to the 37 volunteers, (c.) a monitor nozzle and cellar pipe be added, (d.) the electric telegraph fire alarm system be overhauled and enlarged, and (5.) the fire code be amended and expanded. [Independent, 12/9/32]

1929, Aug – Chief Flora is looking for an old hand engine of the city’s, that was purchased from a disbanded Baltimore fire company. [Independent, 8/30/29]

1930s

1931 – Sanborn Maps shows the fire station as a two-story building on the northeast corner of E. Colonial and N. Pool.

1931 – Sanborn Maps description:

296 fire hydrants
16 alarm boxes
Electric siren on roof of fire station for general alarm
Volunteer chief
Three full-time, one part-time, and 35 volunteer members
Two American LaFrance triple combination, 750 GPM
One American LaFrance combination chemical and hose truck
One Brockway city service truck
One Silsby steamer, 500 GPM, towed
7,000 feet of hose.

1932, Jan 12 – Southeastern Underwriters Association re-inspected the city. They found their 1928 recommendations had not been implemented and graded the city with a lower second-class rate. Fire Chief Flora appealed the decision. [Independent, 12/9/32]

1932, Aug 16-18 – Annual convention of the state colored fire association held in town. [Independent, 8/26/32]

1933, Jun – The city’s water supply includes a half-million gallon water tank above the fire station. [Independent, 6/9/33]

Sources

See source articles.

Abbreviations