National Fire Academy Photo Page

National Fire Academy Photo Page

St. Joseph College - 1923

Welcome to the National Fire Academy photo page. I will be posting some of my photos taken over the years at the Academy, as well as the traditional class photos from courses that I have attended as a student and as an instructor. The following is just a little information about the NFA campus...

The National Fire Academy Campus – Emmitsburg, MD

During the early 1800s, Mother Elizabeth Ann Seton, the only canonized United States-born saint, established the Sisters of Charity of Saint Joseph's (later called Daughters of Charity) in Emmitsburg. In 1809, she opened a boarding school for girls on this site. The school later became St. Joseph College, one of America’s first Catholic women’s colleges.

According to the Fredrick Daily News, on March 20th, 1885 “a most destructive fire broke out before noon today in St. Joseph’s College, 1 mile from the town, and at the present time the flames are still raging. The roof and walls of the new building have fallen in and the flames are extending to other parts of the structure. The fire companies at Frederick and Hagerstown had been telegraphed for. The fire is supposed to have originated in a kitchen or in one of the dormitories. Fire engines from Baltimore have been telegraphed for. The flames have now destroyed two outer buildings and are spreading rapidly along the corridors to the main building.”

The Daughters of Charity closed the College in 1973, and sold the buildings and more than 100 acres to the Federal Government in 1979 and it now houses the National Fire Academy and the Emergency Management Institute. The campus is also home to the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial.

Constructed in 1981, the 7-foot stone monument features a sculptured Maltese Cross, the traditional symbol of the fire service. An engraved plaque on the monument bears a message from President Ronald W. Reagan. At the base of the monument, an eternal flame symbolizes the spirit of all firefighters - past, present and future.

The Chapel and many other buildings on campus are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1997, the site was designated as the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Chapel to denote its special bond to America’s fallen firefighters and their families.

Mother Seton selected the site for the Chapel before her death in 1821. Construction of the Romanesque Revival-style chapel began in 1839. An expansion was completed in 1891. The exterior is brick set on a stone foundation. Tuscan pilasters with granite capitals and bases, semi-circular stained glass windows, brick dentils, and a wood niche grace the outside of the building. A low, turned rail separates the nave from the sanctuary with its marble altar and massive pedimented niche. The bell that hangs in the steeple was cast in 1809 and came from Spain in 1841.

Class Photos - NFA Student
This gallery contains class photos from my attending the National Fire Academy as a student. Photo credit goes to Charles’ Studio of Fredrick, MD.
Class Photos - NFA Instructor
This gallery contains class photos from my attending the National Fire Academy as an instructor. Photo credit goes to Charles’ Studio of Fredrick, MD.