Lonas Fire Station #12. Story By Brittany Cline.
At first glance, this unassuming house reminds us of a time long forgotten to Knoxville. Little would you expect this quaint abode to house a bustling fire station helping the Bearden community.
Knoxville Fire Station 12 was once owned by the Lonas family, or Lones as it is correctly spelled. According to Chief Mark Wilbanks, the city was in the process of expanding westward when there was a great need for a new station in that area. The city was looking into it and found this lot located at 4620 Old Kingston Pike in Knoxville.
The family generously gave the city the land to become what we now know as Fire Station 12. As Mrs. Lonas shared, there was no house previously on that land and all the Lonas family asked was that they wouldn’t cut down the oak trees on the property. The city has kept their promise of keeping as many up as they could with a few remaining. The Lonas family also requested that a portrait of Samuel Richard Lonas to be displayed over the fireplace.
Even though the outside appearance has kept its charm and historical look, the inside has gone through major renovations that took place in 2015 and lasted a year before completion. “No requests were made to uphold the history of the house, but the city has tried to keep the building as original as possible,” stated Chief Wilbanks. The building itself remained intact, but the inside was completely gutted, except for the wood flooring and the old brick fireplace. They also added private rooms and showers. In 2016, the new Fire Station 12 made its debut, but still holds the historical significance that the Lonas family instilled centuries before.
