City's First Fire Engine

City's First Fire Engine (HM1R54)

Location: Auburndale, FL 33823 Polk County
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Country: United States of America
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N 28° 4.056', W 81° 47.567'

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Inscription

Chief James A. Hancock Jr. Building

This 1925 American LaFrance fire engine with its polished wooden bed and steering wheel, rare Italian tires and black leather seat was delivered to the City of Auburndale on June 23, 1925 via freight train. The City's first fire engine stayed in service until 1953. In the 1930's volunteer firefighter Nephi Darby gave the truck its nickname "Grandma" as he worked hard to keep it running and clean. The truck was restored in 1979 and was put on display in the Public Library on West Park Street. The truck was restored a second time after an arson fire in the library in 1982. In 1992, the truck was relocated alongside the Fire Station on Orange Street.

In 2001 the Fire Department moved to this location and the historic engine was moved into this building named in honor of Chief James A. Hancock, Jr. Chief Hancock worked for the City of Auburndale from 1951-1991 and served as Chief from February 20, 1956 until his retirement. He was named Outstanding Fire Chief in 1981 by the Florida Fire Chiefs' Association. His public service tenure remains one of the longest in the City's history.
Details
HM NumberHM1R54
Year Placed2014
Placed ByCity of Auburndale, Auburndale Historic Preservation Commission
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Monday, March 21st, 2016 at 9:01am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17R E 422098 N 3104944
Decimal Degrees28.06760000, -81.79278333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 28° 4.056', W 81° 47.567'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds28° 4' 3.36" N, 81° 47' 34.02" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)863
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling South
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 125 Ariana Ave, Auburndale FL 33823, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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