The Bell Tower @ the Former LaFayette Firehouse - Egg Harbor City, NJ
N 39° 31.919 W 074° 38.535
18S E 530744 N 4375875
Classic old-fashioned bell & tower in a now defunct firehouse in historic Egg Harbor City.
Waymark Code: WM957R
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 06/30/2010
Views: 3
This is a small tower with the original bell still inside. Painted white it is reminiscent of old-style fire houses whose bell would ring to alert the volunteers to gather their buckets and horses and meet at the fire well. The bell tower does have a distinct feature, that of a broken pediment. There also appears to be some minor frieze work. The bell is can clearly be seen from the ground.
The Egg Harbor City Fire Department was established in 1880, as two separate companies. In 1919 a new firehouse was built in the 100 block of Philadelphia Ave. and the two companies merged to form the Egg Harbor City Fire Department.
From a previous waymark:
I had a very strong suspicion this Senior Center Nutrition Center was converted from either a firehouse or a school. A phone call to the Nutrition and the the Clerk at city hall confirmed both my beliefs: This site was once a fire station, a library and a school before being finally outfitted for its current use today. As a school, it served a K-2 population and was called LaFayette School. I am not sure about the particulars of it when it was a library.
The lady asked the grandson of the chief of this former firehouse (amazing luck or coincidence depending on how you look at it.) and I heard him comment over the phone the firehouse was built in 1856. Henry Winberg, the guy working at City Hall, was his father and served as chief.
Today the EHC Fire Department is housed at 631 Philadelphia Ave. consisting of a Chief, Asst. Chief, 4 Squad Captains, 1 Safety Officer and 4 Fire Wardens. The Department has a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Asst. Secretary Treasurer. Egg Harbor City has a 75’ Ladder Truck, 3 Pumpers, a Utility Truck and a Chief’s car.