Memorial plaza taking shape, archway completed
Large carved stones that have been submerged in one of Rome’s rivers are now taking a place of honor in the Rome Firefighters Memorial Plaza downtown.
A crew from Milltech Fabrication worked Monday morning to hoist the large, heavy stones on top of an archway that overlooks the plaza. Touchingly, those stones once looked over local volunteer firefighters long ago and they’ll now watch over a memorial to honor those men and women.
“The stones came from the Mountain City No. 2 fire department,” said David Kay, a retired fire captain who’s one of the people overseeing the design of the memorial plaza. “Long before it was the Rome Fire Department, it was several volunteer departments all over Floyd County. Mountain City No. 2 was, we believe, near where the Forum River Center is now.”
The stones were found in the riverbank of the Oostanaula near the Rome-Floyd County ECO Center in 2004 and they’ve been in storage ever since.
“The stones were actually part of the archway leading to the bay where the firefighters way back then would pull in with their horse-drawn fire trucks. That was back in the 1870s.”
Among those on hand to watch the keystones being put in place were RFD Battalion Chief Clete Bonney, and Division Chief of Operations Brad Roberson.
Bonney said it was important to him, and to the other memorial plaza overseers to ensure that the rich history of the local fire departments was incorporated into the plaza.
“One thing we wanted to make sure is that we could tell some of that history,” Bonney said. “So we’ve been looking for anything we could find from those old fire departments. We want to recognize all those guys from way back then before they were paid to do this. They were all volunteers back then. That’s why these stones are so special. Think about all those volunteers who walked under those archways.”
The archway is just the latest progress being made to the memorial plaza. A large bronze statue of a firefighter has yet to be installed as well as a brick walkway and stations offering historical information.
Donations are still being accepted toward the plaza’s construction. Checks can be mailed to the Rome Fire Department, 409 E. 12th Street, Rome, GA 30161. Online donations can be made by emailing rfdmemorial@rfdromega.us. Engraved bricks are also available to honor anyone with a fire service background. More information is available at rfdmemorial.com.