{"id":8924,"date":"2025-05-09T07:37:36","date_gmt":"2025-05-09T11:37:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/?p=8924"},"modified":"2026-04-01T11:49:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T15:49:03","slug":"cherry-hospital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/cherry-hospital\/","title":{"rendered":"Cherry Hospital Fire Department"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Let\u2019s look back at state hospital fire protection in our state and specifically Cherry Hospital outside Goldsboro. We\u2019ve long documented the fire department and apparatus at Broughton Hospital in Morganton<\/a>, but did you know that Cherry Hospital also had a fire department?<\/p>\n

First, some background. The facility first opened in 1880 and served black patients for most of the facility\u2019s history. By 1924, the hospital– then-named the State Hospital for the Colored Insane– had its own fire department. Nine employees operated three hose reels with 600 feet of 2 1\/2-hose and 800 feet of 2-inch hose by 1901, noted Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps at the time.<\/p>\n

Fast forward a few decades and the hospital fire department was upgraded with its first fire truck, as noted in a new old article on the subject, from the News-Argus on October 6, 1949.<\/p>\n

Reported W. J. Sadler, there had never been any \u201cfires of consequence\u201d during the 75+ years that the hospital had operated. And now, the threat of fire was further reduced with delivery of a Ford\/Ward LaFrance pumper just a few days ago. That plus many modern fireproof buildings were on campus. The truck cost $7,500, carried 300 gallons of water, and could pump 500 to 650 gallons per minute with a pressure of 150 PSI.<\/p>\n

It replaced the \u201cancient reel-hose cart\u201d that was the hospital\u2019s only fire equipment. And the truck could pump (draft) water from any \u201cditch, pond, or other stream\u201d and any other \u201coutlying areas of the hospital\u201d where there were no hydrants.<\/p>\n

The fire truck carried 1,000 feet of 2 1\/2 hose and the hospital fire department had 2,000 feet in reserve. They also had \u201cseveral miles\u201d of water mains and 15 hydrants, with more of both to be installed later, said Fire Chief Hubert Clark.<\/p>\n

It was also equipped with a combination \u201cstream-and-fog\u201d nozzle, a new piece of technology for creating a \u201cfog\u201d that could virtually \u201csmother\u201d fires that were \u201cnot of the most intense variety.\u201d<\/p>\n

The department was comprised of \u201ctechnical specialists at the hospital\u201d and the volunteer members held drills \u201cat regular intervals.\u201d The city fire department was also always willing to respond and assist, \u201cshould the need arise.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new pumper had been \u201cthoroughly tested and approved by the National Board of Fire Underwriters\u201d and received a Class A rating, the highest possible.<\/p>\n

Here’s a photo tour of the facility in 2010<\/a>, and where at least two firefighting artifacts survived, an old hose reel and the bright red fire siren.\u00a0<\/p>\n