In December 1871, the Washington County courthouse at Washington Street and Summit Avenue caught fire. The building burned to the ground, leading local officials to realize they needed more advanced firefighting capabilities, said Justin Mayhue, curator of the First Hagerstown Hose Co. Museum of Firefighting History on South Potomac Street.
Now the station at 21-23 W. Franklin St., which has served the company since 1915, is up for sale. The city bought new ladder trucks that are too big for the building. Still, Mayhue hopes whatever happens to it doesn't mean forgetting the years of sacrifice of Pioneer's members.