A Chicago Firehouse: Stories of Wrigleyville's Engine 78 (IL)

by Karen Kruse, Karen Kruse

From its humble beginnings in 1884 as a one-story frame building with one bay to house Hose Company 4 and its team of horses, Engine Company 78 has been the firefighting sentinel at the end of Waveland Avenue, sitting in the shadow of Wrigley Field. Using vintage photographs and moving stories from firefighters themselves, Karen Kruse captures the spirit and heroism of this historic Chicago landmark. Captain Robert F. Kruse served the Chicago Fire Department for 30 years, half of those at Wrigleyville's Engine 78. Growing up within the tight-knit firefighting community, Ms. Kruse records the dramatic and touching stories from her father's and his peers' experiences, and combines them in this volume exploring the unique history of Lakeview's firehouse, including a foreword by Mike Ditka and preface by Fire Commissioner James Joyce. With details about little known historic districts and a brief guide to Chicago's cemeteries and their relations to firefighters, A Chicago Firehouse: Stories of Wrigleyville's Engine 78 relays in first-hand accounts some of Chicago's most fiery tragedies, the brave men who battled them, and the diversity of the neighborhood that housed them.

Genres: Nonfiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published April 12, 2001

Reviews

[Ebookwormy1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Karen Kruse's book is fun jaunt through the history of Wrigleyville, Chicago and the Chicago Fire Department. She brings a reverent and joyful perspective, full of "fireman pride" to the story of her "family business."