Fire Station No. 2
Corsicana, Navarro County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The Corsicana Volunteer Fire Department was organized in Dec. 1879, with J. J. Strupper as chief. Volunteer fire fighters carried buckets before acquiring hand- and horse-drawn equipment. Fire Station No. 1, located at city hall, was first occupied in 1892 by Chief F. N. Drane, who supervised drilling of artesian wells to supply water. First Station No. 2 was built in 1902 as a substation for west Corsicana. In 1924, after protecting lives and property for 45 years, the volunteer system was replaced by the City Fire Department, which continued to use this building until 1926.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Corsicana organized its volunteer fire department in December 1879, when firefighters still fought blazes with hand-passed buckets before graduating to hand- and horse-drawn equipment. A first station opened at city hall in 1892, where the chief oversaw the drilling of artesian wells to supply water, and this west-side substation followed in 1902. In 1924, after 45 years of volunteer service, the city replaced the volunteers with a paid municipal fire department that used this building into 1926.
Why it matters
The evolution from bucket brigades to a professional department traces how growing American towns built the public-safety institutions that modern city life depends on.
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Themes & tags
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