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- Springfield, Firestation #2 - HMBS
Springfield, Firestation #2 - HMBS
Springfield, Firestation #2 by Lisa Lofton
Firestation # 2 is located at 1355 N Main St an opened in 1909. It is the oldest firestation in Jacksonville—a fixture in the Springfield neighborhood for 113 years.
Following story by Bridget Murphy of Jacksonville.com
Most of the stories I’ve got, I can’t tell you,” a guy named Joe DeLoach confided Thursday in the bay of Fire Station 2. Lucky for the listener, the retired fire lieutenant kept talking anyway, as did dozens of other Jacksonville firefighters who gathered for the Springfield station’s centennial celebration.
Here is one story DeLoach, 64, settled on as being fit to print. Back in the 1980s, schoolchildren often came for tours of the station at Main and Fourth streets. Tradition dictated that one of the friendly firefighters would show them how to slide down one of the brass poles. So on that particular day, one of the firefighters geared up in bunker coat, pants and helmet. Then he added another touch.
The screams started before he was halfway down the pole, when the second-graders laid eyes on his gorilla mask. By the time he slid to the floor, the entire class and their teacher had bolted to the middle of Main Street.
“From there on out,” DeLoach said, “when we did it, we closed the door.”
For 100 years those doors have been opening and closing as brave men, and later women, rushed into the city to help whoever needed it. “For 24 hours a day, seven days a week, those doors have come up and down and we’ve been saving lives,” said former Engine 2 Capt. Billy Sands. He retired in 2001 after 34 years on the job.
EXHIBITION AND SALES INFORMATION:
This piece is part of the Happy Medium Book Cafe Art Exhibition at 2724 Park St, in Riverside from March 5th - May 26th, 2024. This piece can be bought online, and your purchase may be picked up from the Happy Medium Book Cafe or at the TAC Gallery upon notification of it being ready. Please join us for a wonderful reception to be held on April 7th, 2024, from 2-4pm. Food, Drinks, and ART will all be provided, and the artists will be available for questions.
Details
Artist Lisa Lofton
30 x 40 framed
Acrylic on Canvas
- Colors of the art may differ slightly from the original. Computer monitor color display settings differ; please call the gallery with any questions.
- Size includes frame in the dimensions if applicable.
- Please check our gallery purchase policies during checkout.