At the turn of the last century, the property where the North Side Fire Station stands
was part of the Sliter, Day and Seager Farm. In 1911, two lotswere put up for sale
and sold by the Endicott Johnson Realty Company, which then sold the property to the
Village of Endicott.
Construction of the North Side Fire Station began in July 1919, and local contractor H.B. Van Ness began construction that same month. The North Side Fire Station opened on December 26, 1920, with a final construction cost of $22,000.
The building is a two-story rectangular red brick building. There are two bays for Fire Wagons – which would have included both early motorized vehicles, as well as horse drawn fire carts. The second floor has a full-width open porch, constructed of reinforced concrete slabs. The North Side Fire Station was operated by a combination of professional firefighters and volunteers.
The North Side Fire Station was part of a series of national programs designed to National Fire Prevention Days, which began in 1911 by the Fire Marshals Association of North America. By 1925, this initiative was expanded into a National Fire Prevention Week, which took place in early October each year. The North Side Fire Station conducted fire drills and mock rescues, distributed educational handouts, and even broadcast fire prevention tips on local radio programs.
The North Side Fire Station Building was sold to a private business by the Village of Endicott in 2007.
North side fire station
The following 3 photos show the aftermath of a 1948 fire at the Endicott-Johnson shoe store located across the street from the fire station.
Fire Prevention Initiatives
Photo of a Fire Prevention Meeting. From the Endicott Daily Bulletin, September 30, 1942
News release about training exercises, during Fire Prevention Week. The Binghamton Press, Evening edition. October 12, 1942
'
Fire prevention radio message on the local Moose Program. Script of broadcast, aired on October 9, 1942.
This project is supported by a grant from the New York Council for the Humanities.
Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not
necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
