Whenever you drive around a city full of historical landmarks, almost every other building that you pass begins to look as though it has been around for a very long time and surely has a story to tell.
Such was the case when my husband and I were in Burlington, New Jersey. Having researched places of historical signifance in the area, I directed Mister Rain from one destination to another.
Stopping because a car a few ahead of us was making a left turn, I noticed a large building out my side window. Reaching for the binoculars I keep in the door pocket for moments just like this, I zoomed in to find that the structure had several garage doors. The letters at the top of the structure spelled out HOPE STEAM FIRE ENGINE COMPANY.
Mentioning it to my husband, he was able to read to me some of what the plaque hanging on the outside of the fire station said; this fire company had been in existence since 1849.
Researching further once I got home, I learned that its original name was Hope Hose Company. In 1872, the name was changed to its present Hope Steam Fire Engine Company No. 1.
This current firehouse was built in 1967.
I will admit I was a little disappointed that this building was not the original, at least in some capacity. But as with all emergency response organizations, what is most important is the who and not the where. No matter the location of where the horses and fire carriages were once stored or fire engines are parked today, the men and women of Burlington have served their community for 175 years. If that’s not history, I don’t know what is.
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