NEIGHBORS
In a telephone interview with retired Captain Bob Speights, (Speights was assigned to station 9 as a young fireman), many neighbors looked after the station when the company responded to an alarm. Back in those days, the overhead doors were left open until the company returned to quarters. Many neighbors, such as Joe Webber, who lived across the street and Ms. Neelam Brummett (2021 E. 6th), who lived next door, would come over, regardless day or night and pull down the doors, or finish cooking the meal and secure the station while the fire crews were away. (9)
1963 to 1984
The building was purchased in 1964 by Lokey’s Supply and Jobbing running a neighborhood grocery store out of the building for several years. Mr. Lokey was shot killed in a robbery at the store in 1971. (10)
The building was then purchased by a business, Opportunities Industrial Center in 1972. (10) OIC remained in the building until 1984. The building then became Cox Auto Repair and The Body Shop. (11)