Engine Company No. 9 Fire Station
On 1 July 1950, the first professional Afro-American firefighters in Virginia were hired and in September were stationed on the northeast corner of this intersection. These courageous pioneers created a loyalty and dedication to each other and their profession notwithstanding discriminatory practices. Harvey S. Hicks, among those first hired, became the city's first black fire captain in September 1961. On 14 June 1963, Hicks and firefighter Douglas P. Evans sacrificed their lives in a rescue attempt. The city integrated the fire department on 6 July 1963 and demolished the fire station in 1968.
Marker is on North 5th Street 0.1 miles north of East Jackson Street, on the right when traveling north.
Courtesy hmdb.org
