Fire Bell Tower @ Audubon Vol. Fire Co. No. 1 - Audubon, NJ
N 39° 53.600 W 075° 04.400
18S E 493730 N 4415920
This is a very cool and very old-fashioned bell-tower with the original 20's bell, still intact, in an old fashioned 84 year old station. The bell sits over the front entrance on the left side of the station.
Waymark Code: WM7R9B
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 11/25/2009
Views: 3
The bell tower is in a round octagonal shape with 8 roundish, oval-shape windows. There is a weathervane on top of it. There is only room for a bell and no room for people.
There is an interesting, elongated, pale stone bearing the original construction date of 1908 and the new re-construction date of 1925. It is located at the top of the station house just under the bell.
Off to the side is a small statue of a dog in front of a red hydrant...very whimsical. The structure is made of brick and it has one of those boilerplate fire fighter memorials attached to the front. There is also a very small balcony out of one of the windows, a feature I have never seen before in a fire house. The fire company took over the original town's fire company called Defender Fire Company. Unfortunately, except for a blog, there is no mention of this fire company anywhere. It is like they never existed.
The following history comes from their website:
In 1907, the first station was erected, but by the 1920’s, the station proved to be unsuitable for "modern" firefighting needs. It was subsequently torn down and replaced with a two-story structure. On the first floor, two bays housed the fire apparatus and the second floor served as a meeting room and social hall. At one end of the hall there was a stage which was used during the many community activities held at the hall. The Fire Company served as the social center for the young borough. This building presently remains much as it’s original structure.