Canceled checks to various businesses for fire department services, January 6, 1860-December 2, 1865

The papers in this collection cover all of the Alexandria Fire Department's business and legal transactions over a span of one hundred years. The canceled checks show the many expenditures necessary to outfit, maintain, and operate the volunteer fire companies. There are also many receipts from commercial firms who provisioned, repaired, serviced and supplied the volunteer fire companies. The Alexandria Common Council appropriated money each year to cover the entire Fire Department.

Many reports to the Common Council are included. These contain appropriations for the fire companies, fire warden appointees and resignations, construction and repair of fire houses, minutes of Fire Department meetings, the establishment of a Fire Department Board of Directors and the enactment of laws covering fire house bells and assembly at fire houses.

One report from the Fire Department, dated May 8, 1860, describes how much usable hose each fire company has on-hand and requests purchase of more hose, in linear feet. A quarterly report dated August 15, 1851 lists the number of members in each fire company: The Sun had 111; the Relief, 63; the Friendship, 76; the Star, 47; and the Hydraulion, 52.