1971 Seagrave Cab-Forward Fire Engine "The 1500"
Charlotte City Council approved the order of two 1971 Seagrave Cab-Forward 1500 GPM fire engines on April 20th, 1970. The unit contract price for each engine was $43,465.00. This engine was placed in service as Engine 21, the second engine at Fire Station 4 (525 North Church Street). It is one of seven Seagrave 1500's purchased by the City of Charlotte between 1967 and 1971. In 1974, Engine 21 was relocated to Fire Station 16 (6623 Park South Drive) and re-designated as Engine 16. It remained in service as Engine 16 until 1992 when it was replaced by a 1992 E-One Hush Series fire engine. This apparatus was found listed for sale in 2004 in Rochelle, GA. It was brought back home to Charlotte, restored, and has also become a parade favorite! Check out the reel we shared of this truck on our Instagram page!
1959 Seagrave Ladder Truck
This truck is currently in our possession and undergoing restoration. We'll post updates and history as we get it!
1958 Seagrave Canopy Cab Fire Engine
"Bullet Nose" or "Long Nose"
Charlotte City Council approved the order of two 1958 Seagrave 1000 GPM "70th Anniversary Series" fire engines on August 27, 1958. The total contract price for both engines was $49,776.00. This engine was placed in service as Engine 11 when Fire Station 11 (620 West 28th Street) opened on June 16, 1959. It was replaced by a Ford C-8000 fire engine, re-designated as Engine 23 (the second engine at Fire Station 11), and in 1978 relocated to Fire Station 23 (7400 East W.T. Harris Boulevard) when it opened. Shortly after the relocation, this apparatus was assigned to the Training Academy and used during recruit training and promotional testing. In March of 1997, the reserve apparatus fleet was depleted. Engine 23 was taken out of storage in a warehouse at the Fire Prevention Bureau and placed in service for one 24-hour shift as Engine 01. It responded to a fire at Barnhardt Manufacturing and performed a relay pumping operation to the first due engine. Today, this truck is still operational and is a parade favorite!
1948 Mack L85 Fire Engine
Charlotte City Council approved the order of this 1948 Mack L85 on October 29, 1947. It was the second enclosed cab fire engine built for the Charlotte Fire Department by Mack-International Motor Truck Corporation. Specifications for this truck were written by Assistant Chief C.M. Griswold and Deputy Chief Joe Morris. Manufactured in Allentown, PA, the contract price of this engine company was $16,098.55. It featured a sound-proof cab, a 213-horsepower engine, and a 750 GPM pump. Originally assigned to the Headquarters Fire Station (125 South Davidson Street) as Engine 01, it was later moved to Fire Station 06 (249 South Laurel Avenue) and re-designated as Engine 06. This truck is still functional and parade ready, as seen in the picture!
1928 American LaFrance
Charlotte city council approved the order of three fire apparatus (2 engines and 1 service ladder) on November 1, 1928. The total contract price for all three apparatus was $35,760.00. Fire Stations 5 and 6 both opened for service at 10:30AM on April 24th, 1929. This engine was originally placed in service as Engine 06 at Fire Station 6 (249 S. Laurel Avenue). The second engine in the contract went in service as Engine 5. Engine 6 was re-designated as Engine 4 and relocated to Fire Station 4 (422 W 5th Street) in 1935, re-designated as Engine 3 and moved to Fire Station 3 (Belmont Avenue and Allen Street) in 1952, and served from 1960 to 1967 at Morris Field now known as the Charlotte/Douglass International Airport. Restoration of this truck was completed in 2005.
On Display at Charlotte Fire Department Headquarters
This "piano style" fire engine built by William Jeffers & Company and delivered to the Neptune 2 Fire Company of Paterson, New Jersey in 1861. This is the same fire engine purchased by Charlotte in September 1875 and assigned to the newly-named Neptune Fire Company No. 3 in Charlotte. To this day, this fire engine is also fully operational!
On Display at Charlotte Fire Department Headquarters
This 1902 American Metropolitan Steam Fire Engine is one of the few remaining horse drawn and steam powered pumpers. This particular engine was the last Charlotte Fire Department steam engine to remain in service as the fleet transitioned to gasoline power. To date, this fire engine has remained fully operational, and is a feature of many parades and celebrations. It is also significant in that it was assigned to Camp Greene during World War I to supplement their fire protection.