This research project is on the old firehouse on the southwest corner of 9th and Montgomery Street. The building was built in 1891 and features Italianate architecture. I found out the following information about the building before, during and after the period it was used as a firehouse.
The building was first used for the Phelps and Shaffer Department Store. This was from 1891 (when it was built) until World War I (when the business failed). The store was owned by Edward Phelps (who was the second mayor of Laurel and served seven one-year terms as mayor) and Charles F. Shaffer. They owned another store several doors down on Montgomery Street before building the department store. Before the building was built, a house that occupied the property was moved to 305 9th Street to make room for the department store.
The Phelps and Shaffer store sold everything from shoes, furniture, and groceries, to ice cream. Edward Phelps and Charles Shaffer went to New York to buy the goods to sell at their store. Phelps & Shaffer made deliveries as far away as Savage by horse drawn wagons. The floor plan of the store was as follows: the office and meat counter were on the main floor; half a story up was the shoe department and the china; the top floor had furniture and rugs; and finally, the basement had paints, meal, and butter. The building also had the first elevator in the area. The business failed during World War I when customers could no longer pay their bills.
Figure 1 is a drawing of how the outside of the building looked when it was used as the Phelps and Shaffer Store. Figure 2 is a photo of (left to right) Edward Phelps (owner), John W. O'Brien (clerk), Charles Frothingham (clerk), Will Dorsey (clerk) and Charles Shaffer (owner) standing on the second floor of the store.
Between World War I and 1935 (when it became a firehouse) the building was used for various businesses. At one time an upholstery shop run by Norman Harrison operated there. It was also used as a small grocery store operated by John Tatspaugh. In the 1930's it was converted into apartments.
In 1935, the Laurel Volunteer Fire Department (LVFD) purchased the building from Nilton Hanes (the town policeman) for $4,000 and another property located on Montgomery Street. The LVFD converted the front windows into two bays for the firetrucks to go through and lowered the main floor to sidewalk level (you used to have to climb steps to reach the main floor). In addition, the LVFD had "LVFD 1935" engraved in cement on the front of building. The LVFD occupied the building until 1954 when they moved into a more modern building across the street.
Figure 3 is a photo of the building when it was used as the fire house. Figure 4 is a photo of members of the LVFD standing in front of the building in 1935.
The Laurel town government purchased the property from the fire house. From 1955 to 1973 the building was used as both City Hall and the Laurel Police Department. During this period of time the Police Department added a jail in the basement. After City Hall and the Police Department moved the building was used as a Senior Citizen Center and as headquarters for the Laurel Horizon Society. The building was considered for use as the Laurel History Museum but the decision was made to use the Avondale Mill instead. The building is currently being used by the Encore Thrift Shop. Although the inside of the building has changed a lot since it was originally built as a department store in 1891, the P&S letters displayed on the side of the building when it was a department store still remain.
Figure 5a and 5b contain photos of what the outside of the building looks like today.
I would like to thank the following people for helping me with this research project.
Claire Bergeron of the Laurel Historical Society - for helping locate information about the building.
Donna Leith - My mother for helping me type my final copy.