Contents Researching Fire Department Histories Mike Legeros - Raleigh, NC [ e-mail hidden ] I. What is a Fire Department History? II. Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps III. Newspapers, p Magazines, Journals, and Books IV. Other Information Sources V. Example Fire Department Histories About the Presenter Raleigh Fire Department, 1989-1992 Computer Industry, 1993-present Historian, Author, Photographer FireNews Contributor Raleigh and Wake County Firefighting Raleigh and Wake County Firefighting Volume II Part One What is a Fire Department History? Milestones Apparatus Facilities People Organization Incidents Other events Context What is a History? Milestones Date organized Date incorporated First paid member First fully-paid member Apparatus delivered Facilities opened etc. 1
Apparatus First apparatus Early apparatus Date delivered Date in service Makes and models Dispositions of past apparatus etc. Facilities First fire station Early fire stations Dates of openings Dates of dedications Architect / builder Dispositions of former facilities etc. People First firefighters First officers First Fire Chief First Board of Directors Early rosters Auxiliaries Junior firefighters etc. Organization Number of personnel Number of shifts Number of companies Administrative staff Support staff etc. Fires Disasters Mass-casualty Large scale or size Injured firefighters Line-of-duty deaths etc. Incidents Fundraisers Funerals Ceremonies Celebrations Demonstrations Competitions etc. Other Events 2
Context Community Government Commerce Industry Transportation Political climate Social climate etc. Part Two Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps Sanborn Maps Sanborn Maps Created to assess fire insurance risks Created from 1867 to 1970 Mapped 12,000 locations in US Mapped 150+ locations in NC Scale of 50 feet to one inch Size 21 inches by 25 inches Bound in volumes Available on microfilm Available online via www.nclive.org Sanborn Maps Sanborn Maps Index Sheet Map Sheet 3
Map Sheet Number Map Sheet Adjoining Map Sheet Numbers Compass Buildings First Sheet Streets 4
Fire Station Fire Station Description Key Map Index Sheet Summary Key 5
Streets Index Specials Index Earlier and Later www.nclive.org Select library and enter password 6
Select Images and Maps Select Sanborn Maps Second window displays Select State After a few seconds, window changes 7
Select State Select City Select City Select Date Select Date Window changes and displays map sheets 8
Change city or date Or, select map sheets Next button Clicking a map sheet displays a third window Map viewer window Change zoom value Change viewer size 9
Navigate map Click Download Map button to display entire map as Adobe PDF file in another window Entire map displays in fourth window Displayed as PDF file in Adobe reader More Information http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/sanborn_maps Part Three Newspapers, Magazines, Journals, and Books 10
Newspapers Newspapers Finding Newspaper Articles Visit the newspaper publisher Visit a public or college library Visit the State Archives Consult department scrapbooks Consult department files Consult personal scrapbooks America s Newspapers via NC LIVE Notes on Newspaper Articles Indexes may be available Calculating dates in news articles Locating newspaper photographs Searching before and after an event Consulting end-of-year summaries Fire Prevention Week articles Milestone and anniversary articles Microforms Microforms Microfilm 35mm 16mm Microfiche 11
Microforms Readers Notes on Microforms Readers are machines equipped with lens with adjustable focus, rotation, and zoom Different lenses with varied magnification Readers can be connected to printers or computer scanners Film can be both positive (black on white) and negative (white on black) Microform Film Magazines and Journals Positive Negative Magazines and Journals Fire service Firehouse, Fire Apparatus Journal, etc. Local or regional The State Magazine, etc. Historical North Carolina Historical Review, etc. Individual articles Finding Magazines and Journals Visit a public or college library Visit the State Archives Magazine indexes via NC LIVE Back issues via ebay Back issues via magazine publisher Fire department collections Personal collections 12
Books Finding Books Libraries Archives Bookstores Book dealers Book web sites Personal collections Types of Books Local or regional history Architectural history Heritage of Images of America General fire service Department yearbooks Book Examples Anderson, Norman P., and B.T. Fowler. Raleigh: North Carolina's Capital City in Postcards. Charleston: Arcadia, 1996 Hutchins, Nan. Cameron Village: A History 1949-1999. Raleigh: Spirit Press, 2001. Peterson, Edward L, and Ed Lindley Peterson, First to the Flames, Krause Publications, 1999. Summerall, Hope. History of Wake County North Carolina. Raleigh: Edwards and Broughton Printing Company, 1922. Wilson, Lee. City of Raleigh Fire Apparatus, Raleigh. 2002 Yearbooks Yearbooks Asheville, 2001-2005 Taylor Publishing Charlotte / 1988 Taylor Publishing Charlotte / 1999 Fine Books Publishing Durham / 1990s Taylor Publishing Greensboro, 1808-1984 Taylor Publishing Greensboro, 1808-1990 Taylor Publishing Greensboro, 1926-2001 Lenoir, 1877-2002 Raleigh / 1984 Taylor Publishing Raleigh, 1984-2002 Taylor Publishing Rocky Mount, 1986-1996 Taylor Publishing Wilmington, 1897-1985 Taylor Publishing Winston-Salem, 1913-1992 Taylor Publishing Winston-Salem / 2000 Fine Books Publishing 13
General Fire Books Conway, W. Fred. Those Magnificent Old Steam Fire Engines.New Albany, IN: Fire Buff House, 1997. Ditzel, Paul. Fire Alarm! The Fascinating Story Behind the Red Box on the Corner. New Albany, IN: Fire Buff House, 1997. Lee, Mathew. A Pictorial History of the Fire Engine, Volume I. Detroit, MI: Lee and Sons, 1989. McCall, Walter. American Fire Engines Since 1900. Glen Ellyn, Illinois: Crestline Publishing, 1976 Zurier, Rebecca. The American Firehouse: An Architectural and Social History. New York, NY: Abbeyville, 1990 Part Four Other Sources of Information Other Sources Agency Records Agency Records Artifacts City Directories Department Records Government Records Internet Sites People Photographs Other Printed Materials Agency Records Artifacts City / county / regional associations Office of State Fire Marshall Convention programs Meeting minutes Newsletters Rosters 14
Artifacts City Directories Alarm equipment Apparatus Badges Bunker gear Extinguishers Hand tools Helmets Hose equipment Ladders Patches Pins Uniforms City Directories Fire station addresses Fire company locations Fire company officers Fire alarm box locations Fire alarm box signals Firefighter listed as occupation Libraries Archives Museums Finding City Directories Department Records Finding Department Records Department facilities Municipal or community facilities Off-site storage Department member homes Department family member homes Libraries Museums Archives 15
Types of Records Government Records Annual reports Apparatus records Bid documents Blueprints Budget documents Fire reports Log books Maps Membership information Memos Personnel records Recruit information SOPs Government Records Municipal annual reports (local) Municipal budget documents (local) Governing body meeting minutes (local, county) Death certificates (county) Real estate records (county) Corporations database (state) Census and Social Security (federal) Finding Government Records Internet Government offices Libraries Archives Museums Internet Sites Internet Sites http://www.google.com Internet search engine http://maps.google.com Street maps and aerial photos http://www.timeanddate.com Calendar generator http://www.nclive.org NC LIVE http://demog.state.nc.us NC demographics http://www.ncmuseums.org NC museums 16
Other Online Sources People Local library catalogs College library catalogs State library catalogs State archives catalogs Museum image galleries People Photographs Department members, active or retired Family of department members Participants and community members Buffs Historians Oral histories Written histories Who Takes Photographs? News photographers Studio photographers Department members Family of department members Participants or community members Buffs Finding Photographs Hanging or displayed Boxed Scrapbooks Loose or filed Printed in periodicals or books Libraries Archives Museums 17
Photograph Details Photograph Details Photograph Details Photograph Details Photograph Details Other Printed Materials 18
Other Printed Materials Magazine advertisements Manufacturer catalogs Manufacturer records Board of Underwriters reports Part Five Examples of Fire Department Histories Essay Asheville Posters Raleigh Displays Fayetteville Newspaper Randolph County 19
Web Page Wilmington Web Page Lumberton Web Page Lexington Web Page New Bern Web Page Salisbury Web Page Raleigh 20
Yearbook Charlotte Yearbook Lenoir Yearbook Greensboro Book Raleigh / Wake County The End Questions? 21