Historic Firehouse No.2 – Stevens Point

Fire House No. 2 was built in 1885 to serve the railroad and business districts in the southern tier of Stevens Point. In 2005 it was slated to be demolished, but a quick-thinking resident appealed to the Mayor of Stevens Point and the Portage County Historical Society asking if the building could be saved. A flurry of letter writing and inquiries resulted in the Society acquiring the building in March 2006 for only $1.00. Thus, the oldest surviving municipal building in the city was saved!

The original Stevens Point Fire Department was a volunteer outfit when the station was built. It initially housed a horse-drawn steam engine dubbed the “General Ellis”. In early 1860 the city ordered a hand pumper, a second-hand piece of equipment that was the city of Chicago’s first piece of fire equipment, known as Fire King No. 1. This piece is now housed in the Chicago Historical Society Museum.

Source: Portage County Historical Society