Fire Bell, March 1938

Courtesy North Carolina State Archives

In March 1938, the tower at Station 1 on West Morgan Street demolished. For years the city had wanted to demolish the combination bell, hose, and training tower, which is several inches off-center. Considered cost-prohibitive, the demolition finally started during construction of an addition to the adjacent Revenue Building. Contractor H. L. Coble couldn't get his trucks through the seven-foot alley between the buildings, so the wrecking job was performed for free. The bell, cast in 1870, was originally housed in Metropolitan Hall. When the building was demolished in 1914, the bell was moved to the West Morgan Street fire station.