Fire Insurance Mark - A Brief History

(Submitted by Heidi Munc)

When we bought our home at 2041 Fairfax Rd back in 2002, one of the things that caught our eye was a fire insurance company mark on a cast iron plate that hung above the front porch. We were curious about the purpose of the badge and did a little light research to understand why this badge had been used.

In the days before municipal fire departments, insurance companies maintained their own fire brigades. Fire marks served to guide the firefighters. The plaques were embossed with an insurance company’s emblem and placed near the front door of a building. Used in the United States from about 1750 to the early 1900s, this plaque is from our home built in 1917. Made of iron, copper or lead, fire marks had to be made of enough metal to withstand a fire. Often, they were the only indication of insurance.

The Fire Insurance plaque found on our home at 2041 Fairfax Rd (as well as several other homes in this area) is modeled after those issued by the individual fire companies of Baltimore.

The badge on our home depicts a Philadelphia-style, double-decker end stroke hand engine used by the firemen at the time. This circular mark, whose engine was gold gilded, was one of the largest made in America and available to the policyholder for a one-time charge of $1.25 as long as the insurance was continued. If canceled, the mark was returned to the company.

We feel fortunate to have a piece of history attached to our home, and are thankful that we now live in a time where the fire department serves every citizen - independent of what level of home insurance they possess.