An Early History of the Friendship Fire Company

In 1857, John Muir delivered a lecture in the firehouse's meeting room on the "origin, progress, and present condition of the Friendship Fire Company." Muir was a former mayor of Alexandria, and clerk of the Friendship Fire Company. The lecture was printed in that year in the Alexandria Gazette and Virginia Advertiser, and was reprinted in 2002 in the Historic Alexandria Quarterly with an introduction by Dr. T. Michael Carter.

The Friendship Fire Company was established in 1774, as the first volunteer fire company in Alexandria. The current firehouse was built in 1855, two years before Mr. Muir's lecture.

For more information:

• Forming a More Perfect Community: An Early History of the Friendship Fire Company
  Historic Alexandria Quarterly, Summer 2002 T. Michael Carter, Ph.D.

Friendship Fire Company prepares to participate in a parade, 1905