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Last updated July 12, 2024
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Before their merger on May 13, 1913, the towns of Winston and Salem were protected by separate fire departments each operating horse-drawn hose wagons and steam engines. Winston also had a horse-drawn hook and ladder truck. Both fire departments shared the same electric-telegraph fire alarm system, and both responded to all alarms in either business district. By 1917, the Winston-Salem Fire Department consisted of 17 paid men in two companies and 60 volunteers in four companies. Apparatus included two American LaFrance triple-combination pumpers. By 1923, the fire department was fully-paid. By the end of that decade, the fire department was completely motorized.
301 South Liberty Street
Opened 1912 / Closed 1976
Built as a combination town hall and fire station for Salem, the two-story brick building featured a bell tower and two bays facing Liberty Street. The Rough and Ready fire company was housed in the building that became Winston-Salem Station 4 after the town's merged in 1913. Six years later, the station was renumbered from Station 4 to Station 2.
In 1958, Engine 2 relocated around the corner to 300 South Main Street. A ramp connected the new building with the old building, which was used as living quarters and administrative offices. In 1976, the building was closed after Engine 2 was moved to a new Station 1 on North Marshall Street. The 1895 bell from the tower and one fire pole were relocated to the front of the new facility.
The 3,320 square-foot structure served as an office building in 2005. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
214 North Dunleith Avenue
Opened 1923 / Closed 1980
The city's second Station 4 opened in 1923 on North Dunleith Avenue.
Beginning in 1951, the two-story station housed the state's first paid African-American firefighters. "Company Four" consisted of eight black privates and seven white officers. The fire department was fully integrated by November 1967.
In December 1980, Engine 4 relocated to 290 South Claremont Avenue, later renamed South Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
The 1,680 square-foot former fire station served as a church in 2005.
450 East Devonshire Street
Opened 1924 / Closed 1974
The city's second Station 5 opened in 1924 on East Devonshire Street. Like the North Dunleith station, the two-story structure included a four-story tower for training and drying hose.
In 1974, Engine 5 relocated to a two-bay facility at 771 Palmer Lane. By that time, the fire department was three years into a transition to lime-yellow colored apparatus. Red apparatus returned in 1991 with the delivery of a Spartan / Quality pumper to Engine 1.
The old engine house served as an apartment building in 2005.
300 South Main Street
Opened 1958 / Closed 1976
Opened in October 1958 behind the older Station 2, the two-story brick building was designed to conform to Old Salem architectural lines. The $70,000 facility featured four apparatus bays facing Main Street, and an office and lounge in the rear.
The lower level faced Liberty Street and later housed storage, Training Division offices, and the vehicle maintenance shop. Sleeping quarters and a kitchen were provided in the old station, which was connected to the new station by an elevated walkway.
In September 1976, Engine 2 was relocated to a new Station 1 at 651 North Marshall Street. Old Station 2 housed a piano dealership upstairs and a law office downstairs in 2005.
2050 Griffith Road
Opened 1980 / Closed 2004
Demolished
Four years after Engine 2 relocated to North Marshall Street, a new Station 2 opened in west Winston-Salem. The 6,700 square-foot station housed a single engine company. Built at a cost of $220,719, the one-story, two-bay building included solar-assisted heating devices.
Three more fire stations were built in the 1980s at 5754 Shattalon Drive (Station 14), 4548 Shattalon Drive (Station 15), and 1701 Pope Road (Station 16).
In 2004, Engine 2 relocated to 405 Somerset Drive. The former fire station housed a tanning salon in 2005. It was subsequently vacated and demolished in [goes here].
Four older Winston-Salem fire stations were demolished in recent decades:
Old Station 1
Located at 117 West 8th Street, it opened in
1908 as a Winston fire station and
served until 1976. The two-story station had a single double-width
bay. The engine house was a brick building with two stories.
Old Station 3
Located at 1508 North Liberty Street, it
opened in 1908 as a Winston fire station and served until 1964. The two-story, two-bay building
was originally constructed as a combination fire station and
farmer's market. After closing in 1964, it remained unoccupied until
its demolition in 1971. The engine house was a brick building with
two stories.
Old Station 5 (not pictured)
Located at 417 South Green
Street, it opened in the 1900s (or earlier) as a Salem fire station. It served
until at least the late 1910s. The engine house was a wooden building with one
story.
Old Station 6
Located at 1717 West Academy Street, it opened in 1925
and served until 1996. The single-story, single-bay station was offered free
for anyone willing to move the 71 year-old building. With no takers, the
2,500 square-foot structure was demolished on May 16, 1996. The $1.3 million
replacement facility was constructed on the same site. The engine house was
a single-story, bungalow-style building.
Old Station 8
Located at 2417 Reynolda Road, it opened in 1957 and
closed in 2017. It was demolished and a replacement station was constructed
on the same site. The engine house was a brick building with one story.
Numerous other facilities served the fire departments of Salem, Winston, and Winston-Salem. They include:
Utilized a century before the Winston-Salem Fire Department was organized, Old Salem's Market and Fire House is the oldest engine house in North Carolina. Built in 1803, the single-story brick structure served as both the town market and as a storage facility for the town's two hand-powered fire engines. In 1856, the town's Board of Aldermen voted to remove the building from the square and it was relocated to the southwest corner of Main and Belews Street. The building, along with the original fire engines, was reconstructed in 1953 and presently serves as a historical display on the grounds of Old Salem.
The fire Winston fire company was organized in 1882 and used the town's first fire apparatus, a horse-drawn steamer delivered at the same time. Steamer Company No. 1 was incorporated by the state legislature in 1886. Winston's second fire company, Steamer Company No. 2, was organized in 1891. Two years later a hook and ladder company was formed. Additional volunteer fire companies were organized around the turn of the century to protect the town's black community. The first Salem fire company was organized in 1785. Upon delivery of two hand-powered pumps from Germany, one wheeled and one hand-carried, a fire-master and three assistants were appointed along with the necessary men to operate the engines. Salem's first bucket brigade was also formed at that time.
Several dates are cited for Salem's first fire company and fire department.
Charlotte
Durham
Fayetteville
Goldsboro
Greensboro
High Point
Kinston
New Bern
Raleigh
Rocky Mount / Wilson
Wilmington
Winston-Salem
A version of this article was
published on FireNews.net on November 25, 2005.
Copyright 2023 by Michael J. Legeros