Old Fire Station No. 4

Posted: 05.23.2025 | Updated: 09.22.2025

Located in the heart of Charlotte, North Carolina, stands the iconic Old Fire Station No. 4. One of the first “modern” fire stations built in the city, Old Fire Station No. 4 is known not only for its historical significance but for its resident ghost. Hauntings at Old Fire Station No. 4 have been reported for decades, leading to it becoming a regular stop on local ghost tours.

Are you planning your next trip to Charlotte and want to learn about its haunted history? You can learn all about the city’s creepy past by booking a ghost tour with Charlotte Ghosts today!

Is Old Fire Station No. 4 Haunted?

It’s commonly known around the city of Charlotte that Old Fire Station No. 4 is haunted by the ghost of a former firefighter. This young firefighter lost his life while preparing to respond to a fire while on duty at Old Fire Station No. 4. 

Since his death, residents of the building have reported the smell of cigar smoke and other supernatural phenomena that they attribute to the firefighter’s ghost. One man was so terrified of the spirit that he walked off the job and never returned. 

Although Old Fire Station No. 4 is currently closed, the phantom firefighter is likely still around, smoking his ghostly cigars. 

History of Old Fire Station No. 4

In 1925, the city of Charlotte made plans to build a new fire station “to better balance downtown‘s fire protection with close proximity to the city center and accessibility to the Fourth Ward neighborhood.” 

Old Fire Station No. 4 was designed by architect Charles Christian Hook and built by J.A. Gardner. Hook was a pioneer in the design of modern firehouses, since it was only in recent years that fire trucks had replaced horse-drawn fire wagons. Hook’s innovations include a concrete floor instead of wood, as well as a ventilation system and kitchen for firefighters working double shifts.

The two-fire brick firehouse opened for service in 1926. The fire station operated for over 45 years until it was closed in 1972 due to the garages being too narrow for modern fire engines. 

After closing as a firehouse, Old Fire Station No. 4 lived many lives. It was home to an antique store, an art gallery, and a digital art and media company. From 2002 to 2009, it was a firefighter museum, but it closed due to skyrocketing rent. 

The firehouse was purchased in 2011 by a man named Roger Stack, who planned to turn it into a restaurant called C.C. Hook’s Taphouse in honor of the building’s architect, but the plans never came to fruition. Old Fire House No. 4 remains vacant and for sale to this day. 

In 2016, Old Fire Station No. 4 was added to the National Register of Historic Places. 

Pruett L. Black

It is widely believed that Old Fire House No. 4 is haunted by a former firefighter named Pruett L. Black. Born in the early 1900s, Pruett Black (sometimes spelled Pruitt) worked at the firehouse for six years in his 20s. He also died as the result of a freak accident at Old Fire Station No. 4.

At around 7:40 p.m. on the evening of April 1, 1934, Old Fire Station No. 4 received a call about a fire and quickly sprang into action. Black was working a double shift at the station and had been upstairs in the barracks when the call came in. 

He hurriedly put on his fire jacket and bunker pants as he ran towards the brass fire pole that would take him to the main floor. Unfortunately, Black became tangled in his bunker pants in his rush to get downstairs and fell 14 feet through the opening in the floor where the pole was located. 

As the legend goes, Black died on impact. However, records indicate a different story. Although Black had fractured his skull after falling and hitting the concrete floor, he did not immediately die. Instead, he died three hours later at a local hospital. 

Pruett L. Black is buried just minutes from Old Fire Station No. 4 in Elmwood Cemetery. Pruett was known for smoking cigars at the fire station, which is now the telltale sign that his spirit is present.

Hauntings at Old Fire Station No. 4

In the years after Old Fire Station No. 4 ceased operation, strange stories began cropping up about the building being haunted. When a digital art and media firm moved into the building, employees had the unsettling feeling that they were constantly being watched. 

There was also a strong, lingering scent of cigar smoke in the air, even though smoking was not permitted in the building. As it turned out, they were not the first to experience activity that the prior owner attributed to the building’s resident ghost. 

When Old Fire Station No. 4 was an antique store, the owner encountered a full-bodied apparition on at least two occasions. The antiques dealer had purchased the building in 1997 and also noticed the cigar smoke smell, despite the building being boarded up for years. 

One day, the man saw the apparition of another man in a yellow parka walk through the main floor of the building and disappear into a wall. The man was so terrified that he closed the shop and left for the rest of the day.

The antiques dealer eventually made friends with the ghost. He decided to make a display with antique firefighter equipment, including an old jacket from the 1930s. The antiques dealer would often come into the shop in the morning and find the various items moved around. 

Later, an electrician working on the second floor saw this same spirit walking towards the barracks. Not realizing it was a ghost, the electrician followed the entity until it disappeared without a trace. 

Downstairs, the antiques dealer saw the ghost reappear and exit through the fire station’s original front entrance. The antiques dealer was no longer afraid of the spirit, but the electrician refused to come back. 

Haunted Charlotte

Although Pruett Black died tragically and far too young, his story lives on through the tales of his haunting. Whatever comes next for Old Fire Station No. 4, it will be interesting to learn what new stories of Black’s ghost turn up.

Charlotte is filled with chilling ghost stories and bizarre local legends. Learn more about them by booking your ghost tour with Charlotte Ghosts now! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and keep reading our blog for more real North Carolina hauntings.

Sources:

• https://www.southernspiritguide.org/the-man-behind-the-ghost-charlotte-nc/

• https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article180535351.html

• https://buildingmycharlottearchitecture.omeka.net/exhibits/show/thenandnow/introducing-new-designs/hook-firehouse