One was at Ninth Avenue and 33rd Street. Another stood on Spring Street. In all, fire-prone 19th-century New York City was dotted with 11 fire watchtowers.
Made of cast iron, each tower contained a huge bell that a guard, positioned there at all hours, would ring whenever flames were spotted nearby.
The only fire watchtower still standing is in Mount Morris Park—aka Marcus Garvey Park. This unusual structure sits high on a hill known to Dutch colonists as “Slangberg,” or Snake Hill, in Harlem’s East 120s.
Completed in 1857, the watchtower was only used for a couple of decades, replaced by telegraph alarms.
But the cool old bell still rang regularly until 1905; residents asked the city to strike it twice a day to let locals know the time.
Tags: Dutch settlers in New York, early FDNY history, fire in 19th century New York City, Harlem landmarks, Harlem parks, Marcus Garvey Park, Mount Morris Park fire watchtower
Ephemeral New York 
November 8, 2009 at 4:47 pm |
I believe this was manufactured by the Badger Co, a famous foundry that made many of the cast-iron facades downtown and produced the Badger Catalog, the encyclopedia of cast-iron production. Preservationist Margot Gayle mentions this fire tower in one of her books on cast-iron architecture.
So, that give it even more esteem.
November 9, 2009 at 4:35 am |
Thanks. The photo doesn’t do it justice–it’s a very unusual structure. And the bell is pretty neat on its own.
April 7, 2013 at 7:16 pm |
An awareness and fundraising campaign to restore the tower is in full spring. https://www.facebook.com/HarlemFireWatchtower
May 7, 2018 at 5:30 am |
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