Fire Hose House Bell Tower - Northport, WA
Posted by: T0SHEA
N 48° 54.998 W 117° 47.006
11U E 442602 N 5418484
This old Hose House is just down Summit Avenue from the other museum in Northport.
Waymark Code: WMK6RK
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 02/20/2014
Views: 1
No longer totally original, this little bell tower still houses the Hose House's original fire bell, first hoisted atop the hose house in 1897.
Built in 1897, this hose house served as Northport's fire house in a time when the town had no fire fighting vehicles. What they had was hose wagons, hauled by crews of men to the scene whenever a fire broke out. The department had a hydrant system to connect the hoses to when they arrived at the fire.
In about 1915 a volunteer fire department was formed and a new fire station built, at which time this hose house fell into partial disuse, being used to store some equipment for several years.
Rescued from demolition by a group of historically minded citizens, the building has been restored and now serves as a museum of fire fighting equipment, open in the summer months.