History of Sardis, TN and Henderson County Fire Department Station #5
Sardis is located in the southernmost part of Henderson County Tennessee. The town of Sardis got its start as a campground (waystation) around 1825. As people started the migration west these waystations were needed for the travelers to rest. The roads of the time were dirt and one could not travel from Bolivar to Clifton in a
single day. Sardis was also known as a “Meeting Place” for all Christians and the religious fervor of the time. As a result of these camp meetings people began to homestead the land in and around Sardis during the 1830’s. In February of 1925 a fire burned out eight businesses: the bank, the telephone office, and the post office. In 1949 the city was once again incorporated and in 1964 “city water” was brought to the community. Prior to 1978 most fire protection came from the City of Lexington which at that time was a volunteer fire department. Lexington would answer calls outside the city limits if the caller agreed to pay a fee of $300.00. This fee was payable whether the property was saved or not. In early 1977 this service was stopped due to pressures within the city to keep the equipment within city limits. Also that year a committee was formed to investigate the needs for county fire protection. As a result of this committee the first Henderson County Fire Chief was hired (Roger D. Morrow) and he reported to work on February 1, 1978. After months of studying plans prepared by the Tennessee Valley Association and Tennessee Division of Forestry, along with becoming acquainted with the county Chief Morrow presented a plan to provide fire protection services to the county. This plan would create 6 new volunteer stations located around the county. These stations would be located in Westover, Beaver, Chesterfield, Reagan, South Haven, and Lexington. Each community designed their stations to fits their own needs as the county only required two things: 1) building be large enough to house a pumper and a tank truck. 2) building must be heated in the winter. Most of the stations were built with volunteer labor, donated materials and materials bought with money raised by the community. Numerous types of fundraising were used to solicit the needed funds. Sardis became the home of the southeast engine company (HCFD #5) as Reagan showed no community interest at the time and Scotts Hill decided to organize their own municipal fire department. Melvin Montgomery became the first captain (district chief) of the station. Station #5 became fully operational by the middle of 1979. Their response area was extremely large until Station #9 (Reagan) was organized several years later. HCFD #5 remains dedicated to the town of Sardis and the surrounding areas. (material obtained from the history of Sardis and Henderson County Fire Department, the first 25 years.)
