Off the Bricks

The 1852 Hunt · STOP 01 · Downtown

Before it took a single real alarm, Boston's fire telegraph rang the city's bells from New York.

Before Boston's fire alarm telegraph took a single real alarm, an operator in New York rang the city's bells by wire, and the papers reported a false alarm of fire. At noon on April 28, 1852, the system went live - the world's first municipal fire alarm telegraph - from an office at the bottom of School Street. Its boxes are still on the corners.

Engraving of City Hall on School Street, 1851 - the building on School Street before the 1865 City Hall, in the system's first years.
W. Roberts, 'Appearance of City Hall, School Street, at the time the procession formed,' 1851. Boston Public Library, Arts Department, via Digital Commonwealth.

This is stop 1 of The 1852 Hunt. Walk it free in the app.

The plate

The Office Upstairs

Collected on site

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Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Tremont Street at the head of School Street, across from King's Chapel
Directions

1

William Channing first floated the idea in the Boston Daily Advertiser on May 30, 1845 - seven years before the switch-on.

More footnotes on the story card, in the app.

Fire alarm box, Firsts, Works after dark

In these collections: After Dark, Firsts (Contested)

Near Government Center · Near Downtown Crossing · Near Park Street · Near State · Near Bowdoin · Near Haymarket

Sources (8)