Grand Rapids Fire Department Centennial
1850-1950
This book was published July 1, 1950 in the interest of the Firemen's Fund Association.
Grand Rapids, Kent Co, Michigan
I grew up near a fire barn and they always fascinated me so. When I found this book I wanted to know more about the fire barn of my childhood which was torn down for an expansion of Butterworth Hospital as was my home. Even though I was born at Butterworth Hospital, I'm not too fond of it for destroying my neighborhood.
This book is full of information about people but I always liked
buildings better than people.
This book is full of information about businesses that were thriving in my
childhood but are no more.
This book is full of exciting pictures of fire engines.
This book has neat aerial photos of the General Motors plants that are no more.
This book lists 8 A&P Supermarkets that no loner exist.
This book has a photo of the brand new Herpolsheimer's Store that is now the
police station.
This book covers the early stations most of which were gone or re-located by the
time I was a teen.
In 1859 the City reorganized the Fire Department which had
included the Alert Fire Company #1,
The Protective Fire Company #2 and the Wolverine Fire Company No. 3 which was a
West Side company.
The horses were all housed in the basement of the station on LaGrave Avenue.
Fire bells were rung by hand.
Hoses made from leather were stiff and heavy. They had to be hung from the tall
towers in order to dry.
"If there was a fire in the north end of town, the whistle upon C. C. Comstock
factory would be blown, and a fire in the south end of town would be indicated
by the ringing of the big bell on St. Andrew's Cathedral". What about the
West Side? The river was the main source for water.
In 1874 a fire alarm telegraph system was introduced and a bell
was hung temporarily in a tower built for that purpose
where the Michigan Trust Building still stands (2009) at the corner of Pearl
Street and Ottawa Avenue. When City Hall was built (now gone replaced by a
parking lot c. 1968 replaced by a new county court house c. 2008) the fire alarm
bell was moved there. The bell was later moved to Engine House #3 (near West
Side).
The corner fire alarm boxes were still present, numbering 442 in 1950 and regularly used into the 1980's but were removed as useless by the demand of powers-that-be who don't actually do anything useful.
So my website will only cover MY memories. After all we are now in the ME generation.
Fire Barn #1 City of Grand Rapids - LaGrave Avenue Fire Station
Fire Barn #2 332 Barclay Ave NE Closed
Fire Barn #3 523 Front Ave NW City of Grand Rapids - Bridge Fire Station 500 Bridge St NW in 1966
Fire Barn #4 1946 Kalamazoo Ave SE City of Grand Rapids - Kalamazoo Avenue Fire Station 2641 Kalamazoo Ave SE
Fire Barn #5 1181 Monroe Ave NW City of Grand Rapids - Monroe Fire Station
Fire Barn #6 312 Grandville Ave SE Closed
Fire Barn #7 816 Madison Ave SE City of Grand Rapids - Franklin Fire Station115 Franklin St SW
Fire Barn #8 40 Lexington Ave NW City of Grand Rapids - Covell Avenue Fire Station
Fire Barn #9 527 Leonard St NW City of Grand Rapids - Plainfield Avenue Fire Station
Fire Barn #10 1734 Division Ave S City of Grand Rapids - Division Avenue Fire Station
Fire Barn #11 1002 Chester ST SE City of Grand Rapids - Chester Street Fire Station
Fire Barn #12 554 hall St SW Merged with #10 and City of Grand Rapids - Franklin Fire Station
Fire Barn #14 Plainfield 2251 Plainfield Ave NE City of Grand Rapids - Plainfield Fire Station
"The passing of the horse was certainly a sad day for many of the men who had worked with them, fed, groomed, exercised and otherwise cared for them. It left them with an emptiness so great that many of the drivers quit their jobs. The horse-drawn era was certainly a romantic one. There is nothing in the department today that can quite equal the spirited run of a team of fine horses and tails flying, bells clanking, sparks and smoke shooting form the stack of the steamer they were hauling. They gave their utmost in their mad charges down the streets. many of them dropped dead from overexertion upon their arrival at the fire".
This book would be a good read for anyone interested in the History of the City of Grand Rapids.
I have tried to impact every source with corrections or comments so everything on this site is copywrited. The information may be used for your project but the source must be cited.
From Article Engine Houses
From Heading Architecture
From web site: MyCityofGrandRapids.info