Herculaneum Fire Department

Description

On Christmas Day 1947, fire destroyed the Herculaneum High School and it became evident that fire protection in Herculaneum had to be improved. Despite the efforts of the volunteers and neighboring fire departments, the school was destroyed. Over the next four years, a group of twelve concerned citizens began the process of organizing a volunteer fire department. In August of 1951, the Herculaneum Volunteer Fire Department was organized and chartered in the State of Missouri. Using the remaining funds from a defunct Veterans of Foreign Wars post and monies collected by a door to door canvas of the town, the men were able to purchase the first fire engine for the town of Herculaneum. The pumper was a 1931 General Monarch pumper which had previously been used by the Kirkwood Fire Department in St. Louis County. Lacking a building to house the apparatus, the St. Joe Lead Company allowed the department to use an old wooden corn crib on their property for the first "fire house". Eventually, the men were allowed to convert an old church basement into what was truly the first engine house. This building continued to serve as the main fire station until 1971. Since its inception, the Herculaneum Fire Department was funded through the sale of fire tags, donations, fund raisers and whatever the members of the department could individually contribute. It was not until 1957 that the department was able to purchase their first new fire engine...

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