Fire Station 2 History

1844

In 1844, Seth T. Thayer sold the town 874 square feet of land on Washington Street to be used only for an engine house. Soon after the purchase, an engine house was built. A new hook and ladder house was constructed in 1855. It stood on land, next to Thayer's land, bought from Charles B. Dana and was designed by John F. Edwards. The old firehouses became inadequate by the 1870s. The 2 old buildings were sold to Royal Woodward for $400 and a new brick structure was planned to replace them.

Architectural Design

The architect, Charles K. Kirby, designed the new edifice in 1873 to be 2 buildings built to resemble one. A brick Mansard building (still in use located across from the Town Hall) with granite trimmings, initially, had iron cresting on the roof. The 50-foot-high hose tower (which has been taken down) belonged to the engine house and contained 1,231 pounds of Hoopers Best Bells.

Basement

The stories were uniform and the 10-foot-high basement was above ground, except in the front. The hook and ladder company had 21 feet by 64 feet of space and the engine house was contained in a space of 64 feet by 22 feet. Each building had a first floor room for a carriage with a convenient room for three horses. The basement contained the washing hose, the pumping and heating equipment, the cisterns and the manure pits.

Building Amenities

Each building had a large parlor in front on the second floor; the engine house had 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, and a hayloft; the hook and ladder company had a room, bedroom, and a hayloft. The attic was arranged and furnished for supper and also had a refreshment room with a kitchen. The George H. Stone Hook and Ladder Company was stationed here.

1876 to Present Day

In 1876, the new hook and ladder truck 1, made by Joseph T. Ryan of Boston Highlands (based on the same pattern as the one used by Steamer 4, Bulfinch Station, next to the Paul Revere house) arrived. Sometime before 1890, the 2 entrance doors in the front were replaced with a wide door for a fire engine. The old swing doors were taken down in 1953, the openings re-framed and new Roway overhead type doors were installed. In 1926, the one story Colonial Revival fire alarm building was constructed from the plans of the architects, Little and Russell. It replaced the wooden Greek Revival residence of the Kingman family.