Memorial Bell @ Oaklyn Fire Department - Oaklyn, NJ
N 39° 54.204 W 075° 04.740
18S E 493247 N 4417038
This memorial bell is located in the front and to the left of the firehouse on a tapered brick pedestal. It faces the road and is quite prominent.
Waymark Code: WM7P0P
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 11/15/2009
Views: 5
There is a plaque beneath the bell which reads:
This bell is presented as a memorial
to the charter members of
Welcome Volunteer Fire Company
May 30th, 1964
There is another memorial, one of those boilerplate specials, attached to the fire station's brick facade off to the far right and under that is the cornerstone from 1976.
From Wikipedia:
SOURCE
The Oaklyn Fire Company No. 1 (Station 18-1) was established in 1902 (predating the borough's establishment) and was located on Newton Avenue near the Suburban Lumber Company, which ironically has been the site of several famous Camden County fires occurring in the 1950s, 1980s, and 1990s. The Oaklyn Fire Co. building still stands today as a private residence. The company was formed by Oaklyn residents who had been volunteering their services at the nearby Defender Fire Company (Station 1-2), which was located in the community of Orston (then another section of Haddon Township, now part of Audubon borough). Until the formation of the Oaklyn Fire Company, the Defender Fire Company handled firefighting duties in the Borough of Oaklyn (The Defender Fire Company was subsequently taken over by the Audubon Fire Department (Station 1-1) as of 1996).
The Welcome Fire Company (Station 18-2) was established in 1906 and was located at the corner of the White Horse Pike and West Clinton Avenue. Today, the building houses the Oaklyn Police Department and Borough Hall and stands next to the current fire station. The Welcome Fire Company was established when residents who wished to volunteer with the Oaklyn Fire Company found they had filled their roster and were not "welcoming" any new members, hence their name.
The current incarnation of the Oaklyn Fire Department was established in 1976 when Oaklyn Fire Company No. 1 and the Welcome Fire Company consolidated their services. David Aron was the first Chief following the merger, previously serving as Chief of the Welcome Fire Company. The current Fire Chief is Mark Quinter.