Museum hours at the
Northwood
Fire Station
1- 4 pm- Tuesday, Thursday,
and Saturday
Should you have
items to
donate to the museum or wish to volunteer you
may contact Muriel by phone at 248.439.1501
or via email at curator@royaloakhistoricalsociety.org1- 4 pm- Tuesday, Thursday,
and Saturday
Please call the museum for directions.
Historical Society Museum
The Northwood Fire
Station was opened in1928, seven years after The Village
of Royal Oak
became a city. Built at a cost of $65,000 it was the
best city owned
building for many years. The building site located at
the corner of
Webster and Crooks roads was donated by the Northwood
Development
Association, and the building was designed by their
architects.
Lieutenant George cook was the first to take charge of the station with Lieutenant Frank Winter second in command. A 1923 American LaFrance pumper and a new 1928 Dodge truck were moved into the station and five firemen were assigned to each unit. A Gamewell fire alarm system was installed with alarm boxes and telephone system.
Northwoods fire district included answering alarms west of Rochester Road, from Catalpa to 14 Mile, all alarms north of Catalpa to the city line, and all alarms west of Woodward from Webster to 14 Mile Road.
Lieutenant George cook was the first to take charge of the station with Lieutenant Frank Winter second in command. A 1923 American LaFrance pumper and a new 1928 Dodge truck were moved into the station and five firemen were assigned to each unit. A Gamewell fire alarm system was installed with alarm boxes and telephone system.
Northwoods fire district included answering alarms west of Rochester Road, from Catalpa to 14 Mile, all alarms north of Catalpa to the city line, and all alarms west of Woodward from Webster to 14 Mile Road.
Royal Oaks First Fire Department.
1908-1912
Established
in
1908
at the home of undertaker William Sullivan, Royal Oak's
first
fire department was composed of a group of unorganized
volunteers.
Sullivan was elected the fire chief, and other members
included Harry
Anderson, William J. Folland, Robert McClure, Ralph
Bourgeois, William
A. Wheeler, Mark and Lee Halsey, Roy Gass, Freeman
Robbins, Edward Roy
and Edward W. Joyce. Arthur L. Lawson would ring the bell
at St. Mary's
Church whenever a fire broke out to summon the men.
Fire
on Main
Street in 1912 .
Main
Street
before the 1912 fire .
In 1912, a fire claimed the entire midsection of the block on the east side of Main Street between Third and Fourth Streets. Although, the firemen were able to control and extinguish the massive blaze, Royal Oak merchants felt it was necessary to expand and organize the department. A new volunteer department was formalized and put into service on February 13, 1913 and it's membership expanded to include Roy Wing, James Allen, William West, Carlos Marshall, Delbert Geyer, Homer Ebling, George J. Scott, Julius Pobar, J. Frank Codling and Harry Brace. William Folland han been appointed fire chief in April of 1912.
In 1912, a fire claimed the entire midsection of the block on the east side of Main Street between Third and Fourth Streets. Although, the firemen were able to control and extinguish the massive blaze, Royal Oak merchants felt it was necessary to expand and organize the department. A new volunteer department was formalized and put into service on February 13, 1913 and it's membership expanded to include Roy Wing, James Allen, William West, Carlos Marshall, Delbert Geyer, Homer Ebling, George J. Scott, Julius Pobar, J. Frank Codling and Harry Brace. William Folland han been appointed fire chief in April of 1912.