From 1901 until 1954, the building at 1310
East Adams Street was home to Firehouse Number 5, the only firehouse in Springfield where African-Americans were permitted to serve. When the firehouse first opened, it had a stable downstairs for the horses still used to pull the fire wagons.
The firefighters who worked there faced discriminatory treatment. They were given equipment that had been cast off by white fire departments. They were ordered to stay and clean up after fires were put out. Their only white colleagues were either supervisors or firefighters who had been transferred there as punishment.
In spite of their secondhand equipment, Firehouse No. 5 was known as one of the best in the city. Firefighters from this station were called out during the Springfield Race Riot of 1908. They did their best to put out the fires set in black-owned residences and places of business, despite mobs cutting their firehoses.
In 1954, Firehouse No. 5 moved to a new building at 18 th and Clay. In 1970, the old building was purchased by the Prince Hall Masons, a black fraternal organization, for use as their Central Lodge Number 3. Coincidentally, an early principal master of that lodge, William Donnegan, was one of the lynching victims of the 1908 race riot.
Since acquiring the home, the Prince Hall Masons have rehabbed it for use as a lodge, replaced the HVAC system, stabilized the structure, added space for a fellowship hall and undertaken necessary repairs to the flooring. Their next goal is to restore the building’s original façade to take it back to its early 20 th century appearance. The Masons are hopeful that funds for the façade will be included in the state’s next capital bill.
Once the façade is finished, the Masons hope to have the city designate the building as a historic landmark. Their goal is to create a small museum within the site to display memorabilia from black firefighters.
Ken Page, past Worshipful Master of the Prince Hall Masons, wants people to know that the building is available for the community to use.
“It’s a living site. There’s still work to be done, but it is available to the community. It’s important to us that it will be available to young people as a permanent part of the history of Springfield,” he said.
Those wishing to support the restoration of Firehouse Number 5 can contact Ken Page at Kenpage1@comcast.net -Erika Holst
