J. C. Swadley Jr. Central Fire Station -- Grand Prairie TX - Firefighter Memorials on Waymarking.com

Grand Prairie's historic Central Fire Station sits proudly on Main Street. The station was built in 1949. It matches the two city buildings across Main street that were built by the same architectural firm at the same time. One of those buildings served then as City Hall, but today serveds as a City Hall Annex.

In 1999 this station was renovated on the inside and renamed the "J. C. Swadley Jr. Central Fire Station."

The dedication plaque at the station reads as follows:

JACOB C. SWADLEY JR.
Grand Prairie’s First Fire Chief

It was almost as if Jacob C. Swadley (often known as J.C.) was born to be a fireman. His father J. S. Swadley Sr., organized the Grand Prairie volunteer fire department in 1917, built a makeshift station, and stored fire trucks in his own building. As a teenager, Swadley went on calls with his father, then cleaned the fire trucks and reloaded the hoses after each call. It was that foundation that led J.C. to be the first paid Grand Prairie fireman and the city’s first Fire Chief.

Born in 1913, Swadley’s first job was as a distributor for White Rose Brewery in Dallas. Then, like millions of others, Swadley’s life changed on December 7, 1941, when Pearl Harbor was attacked and World War II began. Five days later he married Grace Small and served as a crash fire truck operator at North American Aviation and Hensley Field.

After the war in 1945, Swadley became the first paid fireman in Grand Prairie. Living in a small apartment above the volunteer fire station, Swadley was on call 24 hours a day. By 1949, Grand Prairie built this station – Fire Station #1 – and had four professional firefighters. In 1950, Swadley was named the city’s first Fire Chief and by 1952 was able to move into his own home.

As Fire Chief he oversaw the building of Fire station #2 in 1953 and #3 in 1958. In 1960 Swadley retired and took a position as Fire Chief at the newly-opened Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington.

Among his professional accomplishments were serving 30 years as an instructor at the Texas Fireman’s Training School at Texas A&M University. There, he taught municipal fire fighters from across the state. In 1953, he was President of the State Fireman’s and Fire Marshal’s Association. Swadley was also a member of the Rotary Club, a member of the Grand Prairie Historical Commission, and a member of the First United Methodist Church of Grand Prairie.

“Fire fighting is a great career,” said Swadley. “It brings honor to yourself and your community.” [end]

Memorial Website: [Web Link] Physical address: 321 Main St Grand Prairie, TX 75050

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