CUTFD Memorial Plaza  

The Honor Wall will be used as a memorial for fallen Firefighters, as well as firemen with at least three years of service

2013 - Culver Union Township Fire Department's Honor Wall, established - dedicated July 27 - Culver Firemen’s Honor Wall ready for brick placement on the lot at 610 Lake Shore

The Culver Union Township Fire Department (CUTFD) celebrated its 110th anniversary July 27 with an Honor Wall dedication ceremony at the recently-installed firemen’s memorial at department’s property at the corner of Lake Shore Drive and State Street.

Titus Inc., of Plymouth, created the plaque from a material called corian, a man-made substance commonly used for counter tops. Counter Top Pros provided the two different colored slats and Titus went to work. Josh Kronewitter designed the Maltese cross by using hand drawings and a computer aided design (CAD) program. Construction on the piece began in January. Once the two pieces were cut out they were put together just like puzzle pieces and held together by epoxy. The final step was sanding it out to a smooth finish

The large bell providing the centerpiece for the memorial was transitioned some months ago from the fire station’s raised garden (now removed) across the street to the west. The bell itself hung for some six decades in the belfry of the Maxinkuckee Methodist Church on 18B Road near the east shore of Lake Maxinkuckee, and was given a home with the fire department in the 1960s.

2015 - Mar 19 - Thanks to the work of Culver Comm.High School senior Janele VanDePutte, who painted the dalmatian dogs on either side of the memorial. VanDePutte, was given permission from her art teacher, CCHS' Shane Lowry, to paint the dogs in class.

Those dalmatians? Always assumed they were rescue dogs, but apparently they date back to the days of horse-drawn fire engines, when dalmatians were used to keep a sort of perimeter around the horses so they didn't get "spooked" and dash off with the fire engine. Who knew? >