Woodberry in Baltimore, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

A Firefighters’ Memorial

Photographed by Don Morfe, September 14, 2019

1. A Firefighters’ Memorial

Inscription. In Memory of Eric Dorian Schaefer, a member of Rescue Company 1, John F. Steadman Fire Station, killed in the line of duty on September 16, 1995, and to all the firefighters who fought the Clipper Mill fire.

The Clipper Mill campus, where new construction blends in with surviving remnants from the fire, bears witness to the heroic efforts and sacrifices of Eric Schaefer and his fellow firefighters. Sturever Bros. Eccies & Rouse joins the people of Woodberry and Baltimore in thanking the firefighters and the Baltimore City Fire Department, and hopes that this memorial will provide comfort and peace to the family of Eric Dorian Schaefer.

More than 170 firefighters and paramedics, with 60 pieces of equipment, fought the 10-alarm Clipper Mill fire. The old machine shop’s 430-foot-long roof collapsed and down came its granite front wall, burying Eric and injuring other firefighters.

Erected by Baltimore Firefighters.

Topics. This historical marker and memorial is listed in this topic list: Disasters. A significant historical date for this entry is September 16, 1995.

Location. 39° 19.914′ N, 76° 38.64′ W. Marker is in Baltimore, Maryland. It is in Woodberry. It is on Clipper Park Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2001 Clipper Park Road, Baltimore MD 21211, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker and memorial is in Central Maryland.

It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic

and in the Chesapeake Bay Region.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies

and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers.

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At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Historic Woodberry (within shouting distance of this marker); Woodberry Factory and Park Mill (within shouting distance of this marker); The Poole & Hunt Foundry and Machine Works (within shouting distance of this marker); Meadow Mill (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Donkey (approx. 0.4 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.4 miles away); Welcome to Penguin Coast (approx. 0.4 miles away); Avian Malaria: A Problem with a Pioneering Solution (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Baltimore.

Additional commentary.
1. Additional info
I wrote the text and selected the images for the plaque. A painful task, for sure. I met with Eric Schaefer's parents, who were still living with the pain of his loss — and still seething over what they and others saw as a cover-up of the tragedy. I wrote a longer version using information about Eric — trying to breathe as much of Eric's life into the sign as possible — but alas, plaques have their limitations.

The plaque was designed by Ashton Design of Baltimore.

—Dean Krimmel, Museum Consultant / Public Historian, Baltimore, MD

— Submitted May 22, 2024, by Dean Krimmel of Baltimore, Maryland.
Photographed by Don Morfe, September 14, 2019

2. A Firefighters’ Memorial

Photographed by Don Morfe, September 1, 2019

3. A Firefighters’ Memorial

Credits. This page was last revised on May 24, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 16, 2019, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,596 times since then and 73 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 16, 2019, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.