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All the United States California Nevada City Firehouse No. 1 Museum

Firehouse No. 1 Museum

This fully intact Neoclassical-Greek Revival style firehouse operated until 1938.

Nevada City, California

Added By
Rachel James
The popular bell tower is a scenic photo gracing many a postcard.   Rachel / Atlas Obscura User
Exhibits from the Donner Party   donwmccormick / Atlas Obscura User
A plaque tells the story of the the firehouse.   Rachel / Atlas Obscura User
October 2024   ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
The signage on the slight door of Firehouse No. 1.   Rachel / Atlas Obscura User
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About

For 80 years, this teensy firehouse served the bustling boomtown, Nevada City, California.

Built in 1861, from the time fire wagons were pulled by horses until motorized engines roared out of the small entrance Firehouse No. 1. protected the fire-prone town full of gold seeking miners and the saloons, traders and grocers businesses that supported the small "city". 

The impressive bell tower and Victorian facade is now one of the most photographed buildings in the tourism-heavy town, but the fire department had to move into a more substantial structure to house its continuously growing needs. The historical building is now home to the Nevada County Historical Society's museum, a small but densely-packed collection of old photos and memorabilia of the town in its first heyday. 

 

Related Tags

Gold Rush Fires Fire Fighters Boomtowns Museums Donner Party

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Added By

Rachel

Edited By

ccesare, donwmccormick

Published

February 27, 2013

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