Wise Avenue Corridor

Wise Avenue’s community history is closely tied to the neighborhoods on either side of the road. The Wise Avenue Volunteer Fire Company’s account describes Rosewald Beach to the north and Inverness to the south. In 1942, local air-raid wardens organized a fire company as residents worried about wartime fire protection and the distance to existing stations.

A volunteer institution on the avenue

The company bought its property at 214 Wise Avenue in 1943. Early members adapted a civil-defense pump and a used truck before the organization acquired more suitable equipment. That practical effort established a local institution that continues to operate from the avenue.

The company’s current support page describes an all-volunteer organization funded in part by donations. Its history records repeated contributions of time, equipment and money from residents, linking the station’s development with the surrounding community.

A miniature holiday landscape

The station also preserves a Christmas train-garden tradition inherited from the Dundalk Fire Station. Wise Avenue hosted its first display in 1981, using donated items, model trains and animated scenes. Members and local train enthusiasts redesign and assemble the temporary garden each year.

The published visiting dates currently describe the completed 2025–26 season. The display is a seasonal event in the station hall, not a year-round attraction; a new season’s announcement is needed before planning a visit.