A little taste of the past UPDATED!!!4-21-05

So I found an up and coming website about he history of Roanoke and it seems to have an emphasis on Roanoke City. You can visit the site at http://members.cox.net/forgotten-roanoke/enter.html. Also check out his blog at http://roanoke-found.blogspot.com/. Hopefully through research we can assist each other in uncovering some history and tradition to bring to you.

Of course you can always bring the history and tradition to me, since my time in the department is relatively short still. So email me at Firefleitz@adelphia.net with any questions, information, or leads on the past, present, or future.

I wish to thank all of the Crusty Old Jakes and the Senior members of this deparment in the persuit of the history and unearthing the traditions of this department. As I learn more I will begin to talk of my findings as well as posting the current happenings in the department.

Here is a list of all of the stations that I currently know of ever in Roanoke City.

#1 Vigilant Fire Station at Jefferson and Kirk (this was a volunteer station)(torn down)
#1 Fire station at 13 East Church Avenue
#2 Alert Fire Company ( I believe the number of the Alert Fire station to be either #2 or #4, however I do not have any data on this station other than the picture I posted earlier. ( unclear of exact location)
#2 Junior Fire Company located in the basement of the old Rorer Hall, on the corner of Campbell and Rorer Avenue. (this was a volunteer company)
#2 Fire Station located at the corner of East Ave. and Fourth St. N.E.
#2 Fire Station at 55 Noble Ave.
#3 Friendship Fire Station (this was a volunteer station that was located near the site of station #2 at East Ave. and Fourth St. S.E.)(torn down)
#3 Fire station at 301 6th street SW
#4 Fire station at 323 Highland Ave. SW (torn down)
#4 Fire Station on Peters Creek Rd. (across the street from the new one)(now a business)
#4 Fire Station at 3763 Peters Creek Rd.
#5 Fire Station at 216 12 St. NW
#6 Fire Station at 1015 Jamison Ave. SE (still standing and currently a police sub-station and community meeting hall)
#6 Fire Station at 1333 Jamison Ave. SE
#7 Fire Station at 1724 Memorial Ave. SW
#8 Fire Station at 2328 Crystal Spring Ave.
#9 Fire Station at 514 24th St. NW
#10 Fire Station at 55 Noble Ave. ( This station was #10 from about 1962 until the mid 70's when the new station #10 was built.)
#10 Fire Station at 5202 Aviation Dr. NW
#11 Fire Station at 1502 Riverland Rd.
#12 Fire Station at 4810 Salem Tpk. (closed, currently a business)
#13 Fire Station at 4330 Appleton Ave. NW
#14 Fire Station at 1061 Mecca St. NE

I will correct any errors as I become aware of them or as I find out more information on the stations above.

The three stations listed above as volunteer stations were built and utilized as seperate volunteer companies that were privately maintained. The Vigilant Fire Company was the first one formed. The City took over the Fire Department regularly on March 1st, 1903 and a paid force was put in charge.

A little side note to this is that Station #14 in Nashville Tenn. is designed from the design of Roanoke City's Station #5. I have a picture of Nashville's Station #14 I will have to scan in the computer and post here. I think that I gave a copy of it to Station #5, although I am not sure if it is hanging there or not. Station 5 is identical to the old station 4 and 6. I do not know what the old station #2 looked like that was at East Avenue and Fourth St. N.E.