Campbell Fire Station
The Campbell Volunteer Fire Department officially began in 1912. Keeping track of ladders was a problem and the need for a fire station became apparent. An ad placed in the newspaper urged "all parties to leave ladders belonging to fire dept. in their places." An addendum later stated "...except in case of fire." The first Campbell volunteer fire station (as shown on the right) in 1913 was located on the east side of Campbell Ave. Equipment was kept in the front shed.
Campbell grew rapidly and the expanding fire dept. needed a larger station. In 1951, this fire station was built here at 51 N. Central Ave. This became the first building owned by the newly incorporated City of Campbell. At one time the building served as city hall and housed the fire dept., police dept., and city offices. In 1952, volunteer Chief Jack Scott was named as the City of Campbell's first fire chief.
This building was used as the main Campbell fire station for 30 years. Water hoses hung from the tower to dry after each use to prevent mildew. Today water hoses are made of nylon material that resists mildew. The fire engines were kept in the main gallery with the garage doors in the back.
When the Union Avenue fire station was built in 1982, this building was no longer needed. The building was renovated so that the firefighters' living quarters were converted to offices and the garage doors were sealed, but the tower was kept as it was then. In 1983, the Campbell Historical Museum moved into the building. Now the building is designated as a local historic point of interest.
Marker can be reached from Civic Center Drive near North Central Avenue.
Courtesy hmdb.org
