Washington Park in Atlanta in Fulton County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

Fire Station No. 16

Erected 1963

Photographed by David Seibert, April 1, 2013

1. Fire Station No. 16 Marker (Side 1)

Inscription. During the Civil Rights Movement, members of the African-American community pressured the Mayor and City Council of Atlanta to integrate the city's fire department. In 1962, Mayor Ivan Alan, authorized the first hiring of sixteen African American firemen. On April 1, 1963, after completing training, they were housed at Fire Station No. 16, as stations were not yet integrated.

Located in 1048 Simpson Rd. (now Joseph E. Boone Blvd.), the station was built upon the former property of Theodore “Tiger” Flowers, the world's first African American middleweight champion.

Continuing the efforts to diversify the fire department, Mayor Maynard Jackson ordered the hiring of seven African-American women to serve as firefighters in 1977.
(Continued on other side)

Atlanta's First African-American Male Firefighters

Johnny Belcher Ralph Lester • Frank Bolden Quinton Redding • Harvey Bowen Harold Rosemond • Theodore Ector James Maddox • William Hamer Elbert Morrow • Milton Harp Marvin Reed • William Callier Emmett Smith • Gatrell Jordan, Jr. Robert Ware.

Atlanta's First African-American Female Firefighters

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Lisa Bradley • Shella Calloway • Louvenia Jenkins • Janice Jones • Sheila Kirkland • Emma C. Morris • Liz R. Summers.

Erected 2013 by Atlanta City Council Member At-Large Michael Julian Bond.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Women. A significant historical date for this entry is April 1, 1963.

Location. 33° 45.8′ N, 84° 25.317′ W. Marker is in Atlanta, Georgia, in Fulton County. It is in Washington Park. It is at the intersection of Joseph E. Boone Boulevard and Flowers Place, on the right when traveling east on Joseph E. Boone Boulevard. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1048 Joseph E Boone Boulevard, Atlanta GA 30314, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Piedmont.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate

Fire Station No. 16 Marker (Side 2) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by David Seibert, April 1, 2013

2. Fire Station No. 16 Marker (Side 2)

States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Theodore “Tiger” Flowers (within shouting distance of this marker); Citizens Trust Bank (approx. 0.6 miles away); West Side Siege Line (approx. 0.7 miles away); Booker T. Washington High School (approx. 0.7 miles away); Davis' Hill (approx. 0.9 miles away); The Herndon Home (approx. one mile away); Site of Captain Overton W. Barret’s battery of Missouri. (approx. one mile away); Rush Memorial Congregational Church (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Atlanta.

Another marker is no longer nearby. The Errant Column (was approx. one mile away but has been confirmed missing).

More about this marker. The marker stands in front of Fire Station No. 16.

Photographed by David Seibert, April 1, 2013

3. Fire Station No. 16 Marker (Side 1)

Photographed by David Seibert, April 1, 2013

4. Fire Station No. 16 Marker (Side 2)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 8, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 3, 2017, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. This page has been viewed 1,213 times since then and 61 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 11, 2017, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia.