Before there was the Carnegie Library building that now houses the Edmonds Historical Museum, there was a fire tower!
In the earliest days of Edmonds, there wasn’t a consistent water supply, and so the hydrants and hoses we expect today weren’t reliably available. In 1904, the Edmonds Fire Department was established, and on May 4th of that year, there was a City Council motion to create a committee to buy a nozzle for the fire hose.
Every major city in the US had a “great fire” in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Edmonds was no exception. Ours was on July 8, 1909 and leveled the Jennie E. Jones building on George (now Main) street. The Beeson building that is there today replaced it, and as with the other fires in the country, the event marked a major shift in how buildings were constructed and the next stage in Edmonds’ maturity as a city.
As we know, fire safety and how to ensure it is still on our minds. The Edmonds Historical Society continues to collect donations and is looking for volunteers to help create a Snohomish County Fire and Public Safety Museum.
