The Firehouse Years
On a sunny June day in 1891 a boy ran up to the firemen sitting in front of their fire station. He shouted, "Fire, fire!" and pointed to the roof. Despite the presence of firemen the building was destroyed by flames. A wealthy neighbor did not want his mansion (where the Convenient is now) to be unprotected so he paid $6000 for the construction of the Vigilant Firehouse.
1930-40s? Above. Note the non-institutional looking transom above the nearest fire door.
1970s? Right: A nearly modern fire engine half-way out of the firehouse. This photo is from before the moving of the firehouse in 1976. Note the top of the bell tower which has since disappeared.
1890s: The photo above and to the left likely show the Vigilant and its equipment sometime during its first decade. The sign over the doors says "Truck Co. No. 1, Engine Co. No. 2." Note the doors are hinged on their sides and open from the middle.
