09/17/2026
BEFORE CHARLOTTE HAD A PROFESSIONAL FIRE DEPARTMENT…
Black volunteer firefighters were already protecting the city.
Charlotte’s earliest documented Black volunteer fire company appeared in records in May 1873. Originally known as the Yellow Jackets, the company reorganized as Neptune No. 3 in 1875 the same year Charlotte formally organized its unified fire department.
Headquartered at 107 West Sixth Street, the Neptunes responded to fires with equipment that depended heavily on human strength. Firefighters pulled apparatus through the streets, operated hand-powered pumps and worked together to protect homes and businesses in a rapidly growing city.
Their service was especially significant during Reconstruction, when Black citizens faced discrimination and were excluded from many positions of public responsibility. Yet these men placed their lives at risk to protect the entire community.
Despite that early service, Charlotte did not hire its first Black career firefighter until 1967 nearly a century later. In 2018, Reginald Johnson became the city’s first Black fire chief.
The Neptune Fire Company is more than a forgotten chapter in Charlotte’s history. Its members were among the men who helped build the city’s firefighting tradition long before many Black Charlotteans received proper recognition for their service.
