Misplaced Pages

#562437

29-537: On permanent loan from the American LaFrance Company , which was headquartered nearby until its closure in 2014, the 20,000 square feet (1,900 m) facility displays more than 20 restored vehicles, interactive exhibits and simulators. Established in 2007 by the city of North Charleston , the museum is a popular rainy day activity for tourists. Retired and active firefighters from the area provide tours for groups and area available to answer questions about

58-419: A brand-new facility, including manufacturing and corporate headquarters, with nearly 500,000 square feet (46,000 m ) of total space. On 28 January 2008, American LaFrance filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, blaming problems with implementation of a new IBM enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. On 25 July 2008, the company emerged from bankruptcy with a revised business plan to transfer

87-672: A mansion atop a hill overlooking the Sanders house . This is considered one of the most significant historic homes in the city. The Walter McDonald Sanders House and Alexander St. Clair House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places . According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 9.32 square miles (14.9991 km2), all land. As of the census of 2000, there were 5,078 people, 2,134 households, and 1,423 families residing in

116-486: A new franchise in the revamped league designed for rising college freshman and sophomores. Bluefield University hosts many sports programs, including basketball, soccer, baseball, and now football. Graham High School's football team won the Virginia High School League's Class 2 State Football Championship in 2022. The G-Men defeated Central Woodstock High School 34–7 on December 10 at Salem City Stadium for

145-595: A railroad to the Pocahontas Coalfields , the community's name was changed again to "Graham" to honor Col. Thomas Graham, a Philadelphia capitalist. The town was first chartered by the Commonwealth of Virginia as the town of Graham in 1884. The Norfolk and Western railroad chose Bluefield, West Virginia over Graham as the place to build its regional headquarters and main docking yards for the Pocahontas region. As

174-544: A result, Bluefield, West Virginia grew at a much faster rate than did Graham. Graham, Virginia operated under that name until a referendum on June 10, 1924. By a margin of 287 to 223, voters in Graham approved changing the name of the 5,000 member town to Bluefield, Virginia to match the larger (22,000) West Virginia city. The name change was celebrated in a mock marriage ceremony held in the city park between officials of Bluefield, Virginia, and Bluefield, West Virginia, to celebrate

203-581: A small run of passenger cars from about 1910 to 1920, totaling around 22 (with several additional " speedsters "). An example of their touring model exists, and because the design was based on a Crane-Simplex chassis, several early ALF fire trucks have been retroactively converted into speedsters. In 1927, ALF acquired the Utica-based O.J. Childs company. The company had created Foamite, a liquid chemical designed to extinguish fires in temperatures ranging from −15 °F to 110 °F. In 1947, ALF introduced

232-691: A stadium in the city park that serves both Bluefield and its neighbor of the same name in West Virginia . Although the park is operated by the West Virginia city, the stadium lies entirely within Virginia. In conjunction with a contraction of Minor League Baseball beginning with the 2021 season, the Appalachian League was reorganized as a collegiate summer baseball league , and the Blue Jays were replaced by

261-455: The flood -prone historic downtown area to the southernmost point in the city at the foot of East River Mountain. The area has been developed with a Wal-Mart , the headquarters of First Community Bank , strip malls , and a medical center operating along U.S. Route 460 . Bluefield's most prominent residents are Bill Dudley , an NFL Hall of Famer; New York Giants RB Ahmad Bradshaw ; and the widow of actor Lorne Greene , who previously lived in

290-446: The 700-series fire apparatus. The 700-series was a " cab forward " design, placing the driver ahead of the engine and providing an expansive forward view. This would become the industry standard. In 1959, ALF introduced the 900-series cab-forward chassis. Although it was similar to the 700 (and closely related 800-series), the 900 was an all new design with a wider cab. In addition to the 700-800-900-Series trucks, ALF produced models under

319-554: The Eagle custom chassis . Many of their Liberty products were built on Freightliner M2 or Sterling Acterra chassis. ALF operated additional manufacturing facilities in Ephrata, Pennsylvania ; Sanford, Florida ; and Hamburg, New York . In 2005 it was the fifth largest manufacturer of emergency vehicles in North America . In December 2005, it was announced that Freightliner had transferred

SECTION 10

#1732843973563

348-707: The United States. It was founded in 1873 by Truxton Slocum LaFrance (and partners, including Alexander S. Diven ) as the LaFrance Manufacturing Company, selling hand powered equipment. A successor company, the International Fire Engine Company, built some steam power fire engines between 1903 and 1907. Apparatus built by International included horse drawn steamers, hose wagons, and hook & ladders to chemical engines, water towers and combinations. The American LaFrance Fire Engine Company

377-405: The average family size was 2.77. In the town, the population was spread out, with 18.0% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 22.2% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 22.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.5 males. The median income for a household in the town

406-543: The cessation of operations. Ward LaFrance , an unrelated competitor fire-apparatus manufacturer also based in Elmira Heights, New York, was founded by a LaFrance family member. It went bankrupt in July 1979 and was later reopened by a different party, under the name of Ward '79. There is no association. The American LaFrance Fire Engine Company traced its roots to 1832, making it one of the oldest fire apparatus manufacturers in

435-534: The company announced it would cease operation. Remaining assets of the company, which included parts and partially completed trucks, were auctioned to pay creditors. As of that October it was highly unlikely American LaFrance would be opening its doors ever again. The North Charleston Fire Museum and Educational Center, located in North Charleston, South Carolina , claims to house "the largest collection of professionally restored American LaFrance fire apparatus in

464-590: The country". The museum has an active collection of 20 ALF vehicles, each in operating condition. Bluefield, Virginia Bluefield is a town in Tazewell County , Virginia , United States, located along the Bluestone River . The population was 5,096 at the 2020 census . It is part of the Bluefield WV -VA micropolitan area which has a population of 106,363 in 2020. Bluefield has not always borne

493-471: The downtown area until the 1950s, when it annexed the small town of West Graham, Virginia to the west. It also began to develop land in the more open rural foothills to the south of the city. As the largest town in Tazewell County, Virginia , Bluefield has expanded since the 1990s and the first decade of the new millennium. After a series of devastating floods in the early 21st century, the town has relocated its town council chambers and police department from

522-439: The equipment and fire safety. Other exhibits include a 4-D film on the history of firefighting, robotic presentation on fire dangers in the home and a small playground area with a fire-pole and slide. The Fire Museum is a stop on the route for some shuttle buses that operate between Charleston and its airport. American LaFrance American LaFrance ( ALF ) was an American vehicle manufacturer which focused primarily on

551-509: The firetruck body building portion of the business to the remaining Hamburg, New York (formerly RDMurray Inc.), and Ephrata, Pennsylvania (formerly Ladder Towers Inc.), facilities. The Summerville, South Carolina, plant continued to manufacture fire truck cab and chassis, but focused on vocational vehicles and the Condor vehicle line. In 2009, the company closed Hamburg and Ephrata, attempting to consolidate operations to Summerville. On 17 January 2014,

580-648: The idea of creating a monopoly, in 1900 the International Fire Engine Company was announced. It included the American Fire Engine Company, LaFrance Fire Engine Company and Thos. Manning Jr. and Co. Three support equipment manufacturers were included, three fire extinguisher manufacturers also joined the company. In 1903, the company reorganized into the American LaFrance Fire Engine Company and in 1906 company headquarters were relocated from New York City to Elmira. ALF produced

609-565: The name Bluefield. The town developed around a small post office named "Pin Hook" in the 1860s, named for a small creek that ran through the community. For a brief time it was known as the community of Harman, named after a Civil War hero from the area who had been shot during the Battle of Cloyd's Mountain in Pulaski County, Virginia . Later, after coal was discovered and a company was formed to build

SECTION 20

#1732843973563

638-553: The names Century, Pioneer, and Eagle. The company suspended operations and closed the Elmira operations in 1985. A much-reduced company re-opened for operations in Bluefield, Virginia , in 1986, operating through 1994. In 1995, Freightliner , a subsidiary of Daimler AG , purchased the remnants of the company, yet again resurrecting LaFrance. Freightliner continued to utilize American LaFrance's original nameplates and designations including

667-662: The ownership of American LaFrance to the New York–based investment firm Patriarch Partners, LLC. The headquarters and main plant in Ladson, South Carolina, were not included in the transaction. However, Patriarch Partners was allowed to use the plant until early 2007, when DaimlerChrysler began using the plant for assembly of the Dodge Sprinter . Under new ownership ALF relocated within the Charleston, South Carolina , area in summer 2007 to

696-409: The population. There were 2,134 households, out of which 21.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and

725-567: The production of fire engines , ladder trucks , and emergency apparatus such as ambulance and rescue vehicles. Originally located in Elmira, New York , the final iteration of the company was located in Summerville, South Carolina . It also operated a plant in Toronto , Ontario , Canada, where it sold apparatus under the name LaFrance-Foamite, until 1971. On 17 January 2014, American LaFrance announced

754-444: The renaming of Graham. Its community had borders then that are roughly the same as the downtown area alongside the railroad of today's Bluefield, Virginia. Graham continued to hope for development as a major city in the region; it tried to attract a steel refining industry alongside the railyards. The Great Depression of the 1930s caused development in the region to come to a halt. The current Bluefield did not start to expand beyond

783-399: The town. The population density was 669.9 people per square mile (258.7/km ). There were 2,349 housing units at an average density of 309.9 per square mile (119.7/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 92.30% White , 4.86% African American , 0.32% Native American , 1.42% Asian , 0.12% from other races , and 0.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.41% of

812-430: Was $ 32,157, and the median income for a family was $ 44,000. Males had a median income of $ 34,167 versus $ 18,875 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 21,755. About 3.9% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line , including 9.6% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over. The Bluefield Blue Jays , a Minor League Baseball team, played their home games at Bowen Field ,

841-533: Was formed in 1903. ALF delivered its first motorized fire engine in 1907. According to the Elmira, New York, newspaper the Star-Gazette : The company began to manufacture other firefighting equipment and in 1880 became the LaFrance Fire Engine Company. The 1890s was an era of business consolidation with the growth of trusts. A rival firm was created named the American Fire Engine Company. With

#562437