The Firehouse Years
On a sunny June day in 1891 a boy ran up to the firemen sitting in front of their fire station. He shouted, "Fire, fire!" and pointed to the roof. Despite the presence of firemen the building was destroyed by flames. A wealthy neighbor did not want his mansion (where the Convenient is now) to be unprotected so he paid $6000 for the construction of the Vigilant Firehouse.
1890s: The photo above and to the right likely show the Vigilant and its equipment sometime during its first decade. The sign over the doors says "Truck Co. No. 1, Engine Co. No. 2." Note the doors are hinged on their sides and open from the middle.
1930-40s? Note the non-institutional looking transom above the nearest fire door.
1970s? Below: A nearly modern fire engine half-way out of the firehouse. This photo is from before the moving of the firehouse in 1976. Note the top of the bell tower which has since disappeared.
The Lost Years
In 1971 the Vigilant Firehouse closed with the engines, hoses and firemen moving into a new, and architecturally less interesting, building about a block south on Main Street. They took the firebell and at some point, maybe then, the top of the bell tower was removed.
I haven't found a history of exactly what happened next, but the building was auctioned off at one point, was a crafts shop for awhile, and most recently, two restaurants. First was The Firehouse and after some years that was followed by Paisano's, an Italian restaurant. Paisano's closed in about 2005 and the building was empty until 2016 when we bought it. The ten years of neglect between the closing of Paisano's and our purchase led to undetected and unrepaired roof leaks that buckled the hardwood floor in some areas, and the collapse of an add-on wooden structure that had been the restaurant kitchen.
Over the course of 10 years, we have replaced the roof, made significant structural repairs, and have removed the remains of the kitchen, that revealed a brick rear wall that needed extensive repair. The electric, plumbing and HVAC have been totally replaced, and every surface cleaned and renewed.
At the profit margins associated with used book-stores, these repairs may never be paid for - but a used bookstore is a blessing to a community and worth the cost! All that being said, we hope you buy lots of wonderful books, enjoy the delicious food in our cafe, and attend our special events!
