Avon-By-The-Sea History

This fire department was established in 1901, at a time when many growing New Jersey towns were forming volunteer fire companies as one of their first real civic institutions.

Its first home was in a converted barn behind a butcher shop on Norwood Avenue. Soon after, the company purchased its first fire wagon, and when it arrived by train, members proudly paraded it through town before putting it into service.

In the early years, two separate fire companies operated here, with such a strong rivalry that they were divided by a wall and barely spoke unless there was a fire. That changed in 1957, when the two groups were finally brought together as one unified department.

As the years passed, the department modernized, moved to a new firehouse, and continued serving through emergencies, traditions, and generations of change.

More than a century later, it remains a story of volunteer service, local pride, and neighbors protecting neighbors.