The Atlanta Hook and Ladder Company No. 1 was a fire company organized in 1859 in response to the deaths of a woman and two children in a fire on Whitehall Street in Atlanta, Georgia, the prior year. Frank M. Johnson, a spectator of the Whitehall Street fire noticed the dearth of ladders on the scene and solicited subscriptions to pay for new ladders. His efforts led to the organization of the Atlanta Hook and Ladder Company No. 1., which received a charter from Judge O. A. Bull in 1859. The Company, whose motto was “Old Reliable,” was equipped with one truck, two horses, buckets, axes, and hooks and ladders. Its original location was at Pryor Street, but it moved to 28 Broad Street in 1872. Soon after, the city organized several other fire companies in Atlanta, most of which played an important role in combatting the destruction of Atlanta during the Civil War. Several members of the Atlanta Hook and Ladder Company No. 1 died in combat fighting for the Confederacy during the Civil War, including J. M. C. Hulsey, Bartley M. Smith, Thomas Ennis, J. T. Sherwood, and Colonel Thomas L. Cooper.