Historical records show it's believed to be one of the first fire stations in the country that was owned and operated entirely by African Americans.<\/p>\n
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. In 1948, a group of African American men changed the course of local Black history in Princess Anne County, what is now currently the City of Virginia Beach.<\/p>\n
These men stood up. They took the challenge to support themselves,\" local historian Edna Hawkins-Hendrix told 13News Now.<\/p>\n
After World War II, more than a dozen men came together to form the Seatack Volunteer Fire Department to serve the Seatack area of the county, then a thriving African American community. The intended goal was to not rely on other white fire stations in the area and save on a $50 fee that a nearby Virginia Beach fire station charged for calls outside the Beach Borough.<\/p>\n
Based on historical records of the station's history, it's believed to be one of the first fire stations in the country that was owned and operated entirely by African Americans.<\/p>\n
Hawkins-Hendrix says what makes Station 12 stand out is that it was not only staffed by Black firefighters, but they were also in charge of the station, too.<\/p>\n
The City of Norfolk had a fire station manned by African Americans, but the city owned it. The city owned that particular fire station,\" Hawkins-Hendrix said.<\/p>\n
She added that historical milestones like this at the local level, are just as important as more well-known national stories from the Civil Rights era.<\/p>\n
It is one of the earliest Black-owned fire stations in the United States. I will say 'among,' just in case another comes up.<\/p>\n
Catch the full piece of history, on 13News Now this Thursday at 6.<\/p>\n
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Changing history | Remembering Virginia Beach's Station 12, one of the first Black-owned fire departments in the United States - 13newsnow.com WVEC<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Historical records show it's believed to be one of the first fire stations in the country that was owned and operated entirely by African Americans. Continue reading