The 1852 Hunt · STOP 02 · Downtown Crossing
Boston's first keyless alarm box went in on this corner in 1881.
For its first thirty years you couldn't just pull a Boston fire alarm. The boxes were locked and the keys went to trusted citizens - until the department changed every lock because, its own history says, the keys were held by 'irresponsible people.' The first keyless box door in the city went in on one corner across from the Common in 1881. There's still a box on that corner.
This is stop 2 of The 1852 Hunt. Walk it free in the app.
The plate
Collected on site
Corner of Tremont Street and Winter Street, across from the Common
Directions
Every Boston firefighter carries a big J-shaped key for opening boxes, the 'J-key.' The fire historians say it's thought to be where the nickname 'Jake' comes from.
More footnotes on the story card, in the app.
In these collections: After Dark, Firsts (Contested)
Near Park Street · Near Downtown Crossing · Near Boylston · Near Chinatown · Near Government Center · Near State · Near Bowdoin
Sources (6)
- HardwareBoston Fire Historical Society · n.d.
- History of the Boston Fire Alarm Telegraph SystemJoe Maurath Jr., Yankee Pole Cat Insulator Club newsletter, via insulators.info · August 1997
- Boston Fire Department alarm system begins operationWhen and Where in Boston (Paul Christian) · n.d.
- A Complete History of the Boston Fire Department, including the Fire-Alarm Service and the Protective Department, from 1630 to 1888Arthur Wellington Brayley (Boston: John P. Dale & Co.) · 1889
- Fire Boxes (PublicSafety/OpenData MapServer layer 1)City of Boston GIS · Data dated 2015 per Alarm Club; layer has no date fields
- Report of the Commissioners appointed to investigate the cause and management of the Great Fire in BostonCity of Boston (Rockwell & Churchill) · 1873