Fireman Memorial on Main Street

This statue, here seen on a vintage postcard on Main Street in front of the old courthouse, was erected in 1905 as a memorial following the deaths of Captain William Maxey and fireman John Dunn who lost their lives the previous year battling a serious fire on Gay Street. The statue has moved around town several times since then, first moving to Emory Park adjacent to the former North Knoxville Fire Station #3. The statue then moved to City Hall grounds that now form the Duncan School of Law campus for Lincoln Memorial University. It’s final move to date was its shortest yet – right across the street in front of the Downtown Fire Station on Summit Drive. An inscription on the base of the statute reads, “In memory of firemen who made the supreme sacrifice answering their last alarm.” One of those names was Chief Sam B. Boyd who served as Fire Chief for 29 years before he died of a heart attack in 1929 while directing his men attempting to extinguish a fire at the Knoxville Business College. Boyd is the only Fire Chief who has died in service. The old fire engine inside the adjacent exhibit building also features Boyd’s name. Shared by Chad Cooper.