Late on the night of September 24, 1810, an unattended candle ignited wood shavings in Lawrence Hill’s cooper shop along Alexandria’s waterfront. The fire rapidly spread through nearby warehouses, lumberyards, and shops east of Union Street, threatening much of the city’s commercial district. Fire companies battled through the night with hand-pumped engines and bucket brigades—but it was the critical assistance from “persons of color who assisted in working the company’s engine” that helped save the waterfront.
Three days later, on September 27, 1810, the Sun Fire Company held a formal meeting and appropriated Twenty Dollars to reward these Black firefighters for their service. The decision was recorded in the Alexandria Gazette and represents one of the earliest documented instances of African Americans being formally recognized and compensated for their participation in Alexandria’s fire protection efforts—a milestone in the city’s civil rights history that predated emancipation by more than half a century.
☛ Read more about Alexandria’s fires and fallen firefighters at this interactive map