Did you know that Monroe had an all-black Fire Company crew during Reconstruction? They organized in early 1874 and since the Ouachita Fire Company, No 1 had just gotten a new steam fire engine, the new crew were given the old hand engine called Creole, No. 9. They called themselves "the Aetnas" (Aetna Fire Co., … Continue reading First African-American Firefighters in Monroe – 1874 →