DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Lydia Street Fire Station in Travis County. Pull up a chair, because this one's got courage, history, and more than a little hard-won ground in it. Austin was established in 1839, and right from the jump, that burgeoning city had a fire problem.
Officials spent years placing volunteer stations around town to keep up with the flames. By 1886, East Austin Hose Company No. 4 was set up on Lydia Street near 11th Street — a two-story brick building, solid and purposeful. Volunteer units kept the watch until 1916, when paid firemen took over.
Then in 1947, the Texas legislature took another step, authorizing firefighters to be classified as government employees. The following year, Austin's voters weighed in — and that public vote gave Austin's firefighters civil servant status. Now here's where the story turns.
That vote laid the foundation for something the city had never seen before: the hiring of Austin's first black firemen. In 1952, Willie Ray Davis, Nathaniel H. Kindred, and Roy D.
Greene walked through the doors of the Lydia Street Station. Greene resigned after some years on the force. But Davis and Kindred — they stayed.
Long careers, both of them. Nathaniel H. Kindred gave his life in the line of duty.
And Willie Ray Davis rose to the rank of Captain, the first African American to do so in the Austin Fire Department. Many more of the first African American civil servants in Austin started right here at this station. Now, I'd be telling you only half the story if I stopped there.
These men continued to face racism from their own coworkers. One man received formal punishment — formal punishment — for refusing an order to transfer to Station Number Four. And the neighborhood around Lydia Street faced unemployment and a lack of investment in public infrastructure.
The station itself was retired in 1969, when a new station was built about two miles east on Webberville Road. Then in the 1970s, the Lydia Street Station was demolished. The lot sat empty until 1982, when the city sold the land to a nonprofit developer.
But the legacy of those men didn't disappear with the building. In 2002, the City of Austin opened the Pass the Torch Academy — focused on recruiting African American and other minority populations to the Austin Fire Department. A name that says just about everything you need to know.
The marker puts it plainly: the station's legacy of bravery and service contributed to the growth and prosperity of the city. On Lydia Street, they lit a torch. And they made sure it kept burning.
What the marker says
After its establishment in 1839, the burgeoning city of Austin battled fires regularly, prompting officials to establish volunteer fire stations around the city. In 1886, they placed East Austin Hose Company No. 4 on Lydia Street near 11th Street in a two-story brick building. Paid firemen replaced the volunteer units in 1916, and in 1947, the Texas legislature authorized firefighters to be classified as government employees. After a public vote the following year, Austin's firefighters achieved civil servant status. This vote laid the foundation for the hiring of Austin's first black firemen. In 1952, Willie Ray Davis, Nathaniel H. Kindred and Roy D. Greene were hired to serve the Lydia Street Station. Greene resigned after some years on the force, but Davis and Kindred enjoyed long careers with the Austin Fire Department. Kindred gave his life in the line of duty. Davis rose to the rank of Captain, the first African American to do so. Many more of the first African American civil servants started at this station. The men at Lydia Street Station continued to experience racism from their coworkers, with one receiving formal punishment for refusing to obey an order to transfer to Station #4. Additionally, the area around Lydia Street Station faced unemployment and lack of investment in public infrastructure. In 1969, the Lydia Street Station was retired when a new station was built about two miles east on Webberville Road. The Lydia Street Station was demolished in the 1970s, and the site remained an empty lot until 1982, when the city sold the land to a nonprofit developer. To honor the legacy of the men who served here, the City of Austin opened the Pass the Torch Academy in 2002, which focused on recruiting African American and other minority populations to the Austin Fire Department. The station's legacy of bravery and service contributed to the growth and prosperity of the city.