Marshall Fire Department

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Marshall Fire Department, out of Harrison County. Now, before Marshall had anything resembling a fire department, what stood between a burning building and total loss was a line of neighbors passing buckets. That was it.

Bucket brigades. And there was no fire alarm to call them together, so by the time word got around and folks showed up, well, the fire had a head start. The city of Marshall learned that lesson the hard way, suffering devastating fires in 1868 and then again in 1870.

Something had to change. On December 1, 1871, city Alderman William E. Singleton stepped up and formed the Marshall Salamander Fire Company No. 1.

That name alone tells you these folks had a flair for the dramatic. Volunteer departments kept forming through 1875, names like the Stone Wall Hook and Ladder Company No. 1 and the Texas and Pacific Hook and Ladder Company No. 1. Marshall was getting serious about fire.

Then in 1876, a city charter brought all those groups together into the fire department of the City of Marshall. The Salamanders secured a lot at 108 West Houston Street for their station, and they went shopping for something the city desperately needed: a bell. Not just any bell, either.

They ordered one manufactured by J. Register and Sons of Baltimore, Maryland. Cost them two hundred dollars.

When it arrived, it weighed in at nine hundred pounds, measured thirty-eight inches in diameter at the bottom, and stood twenty-four inches tall. That bell was installed on February 8, 1878, and from that moment on, Marshall finally had a way to sound the alarm. But nothing in this story moves in a straight line.

The city charter expired in 1901, volunteer companies began to withdraw, and the whole structure started to come apart. The bell, though, that bell wasn't going anywhere. It was officially donated to the City of Marshall in 1901 and housed in a new tower.

The city re-formed the Marshall Fire Department in 1907 and opened a central station on the lower level of city hall. The bell moved to the city hall's southeast corner. Then in 1909, the central station received a new steam-powered fire whistle, and the old bell got relocated again, this time to the north side station at Main and Twyman Street.

It stayed there until 1950, when construction work saw it removed. And then, the bell disappeared. For years, nobody could say exactly where it had gotten to.

Until 1963, when Chief Glenn Warnstaff and City Manager Hugh Henry went looking. They found it under a stairwell at city hall. Nine hundred pounds of Baltimore iron, just sitting there in the dark, waiting to be remembered.

The bell went on display at the courthouse from 1966 until the late 1990s, and eventually it was returned to the Marshall Fire Department, where it stands on display today. From bucket brigades to a nine-hundred-pound bell buried under a staircase, Marshall's fire history has got more chapters than most towns ever write. And that bell, it outlasted every department that ever claimed it.

What the marker says

Prior to the creation of an official department for the city, citizens responded to fires with "bucket brigades." No fire alarm existed, so response time was delayed. The city of Marshall suffered devastating fires in 1868 and 1870. On December 1, 1871, city Alderman William E. Singleton formed the Marshall Salamander Fire Company No. 1. Other volunteer fire departments formed through 1875, such as the Stone Wall Hook and Ladder Company No. 1 and the Texas and Pacific Hook and Ladder Company No. 1. In 1876, a city charter combined these groups into the fire department of the City of Marshall. The Marshall Salamanders purchased a lot at 108 West Houston St. to serve as a fire station. The Salamander Company purchased a fire bell manufactured by J. Register & Sons of Baltimore, Maryland for $200. It weighed 900 pounds, measured 38 inches in diameter at the bottom and stood 24 inches tall. The bell was installed on February 8, 1878. The city charter expired in 1901 and volunteer companies began to withdraw. The bell was officially donated to the City of Marshall in 1901 and housed in a new tower. The city re-formed the Marshall Fire Department once again in 1907 and opened a central station on the lower level of city hall. The bell was moved to the city hall's southeast corner. In 1909, central station received a new steam-powered fire whistle and moved the bell to the north side station at Main and Twyman St. The bell remained there until 1950 when it was removed for construction. In 1963, Chief Glenn Warnstaff and City Manager Hugh Henry discovered the bell under a stairwell at city hall. The bell went on display at the courthouse from 1966 until the late 1990s. It was returned to the Marshall Fire Department and placed on display. (2022)