Hose House No.7

In its third iteration of Hose House No.7, this station served the Howell area from 1921-1983. Originally, Hose House No.7 sat in Franklin Park before it came to Howell. When Evansville annexed Howell in 1918, it was decided the Hose House should move. The decision to move the station was highly politicized. When it first moved to Howell it was at 112 Dearborn and later 3012 Dearborn Street.

The building itself was commissioned by the city in 1921 for Howell. It was designed by Russ Karge in the Dutch Colonial Revival Style. The two floors of the building held many different purposes during its years of use as a fire station.

Howell was in need of a fire house and library during the 1920s. The Department of Public Works petitioned for a new hose house and library in the area. From 1922-1936, the fire house was home to the Howell library which sat in its top floor. The library was later moved to Daniel Wertz school then it had its own building next door to the fire station.

The thing that made this fire station's unique was its structure. It was the first built in Evansville for the specific use of fire trucks. Previously, Evansville relied on horse-drawn wagons to get to fires. They also kept dogs at the fire stations to keep the horses calm. The mechanized apparatuses were cheaper than horses and wagons; however, when they pulled the first truck in, it didn't fit. They had to cut the mirrors off the truck to make it fit. The fire station was uniquely made for trucks due to its pad in front of the station. The pad was made smooth for the trucks whereas many pads had cuts in them made for the horse-drawn wagons. Their apparatuses still had the capabilities to "catch plugs" in the water system to put out fires. The station also had a pole for the men on duty to get to their trucks quicker from the second floor.

The hose house was mainly manned by volunteers. Many firemen at No.7 , up until about the 1980s, were known to drink heavily, gamble, and bring prostitutes into the station while they were on duty. Local kids frequently visited the station where they could stop in and get candy for a dime. The firemen at No.7 were known to be very involved in Howell activities and the neighborhood in general. Locals would frequent the station and find the men sitting outside talking. Some men who worked at No.7 also played for the EFD baseball team.

During the 1937 flood, many people in Howell could not leave their homes. Men from No. 7 used boats to shuttle people from Howell to Reitz High School. The school's campus served as a place for flood refugees.

Historic Evansville - Hose House No. 7.” Accessed November 9, 2023. http://historicevansville.com/site.php?id=hosehouse07.

1927 Howell Branch Library.” Accessed November 9, 2023. https://digital.evpl.org/digital/collection/evplcent/id/18/.

Mark Garnett, text message to author, November 9, 2023.

Matt Garnett (EFD Captain) in discussion with the author, November 19, 2023.