Louisville Salvage Corps

Working as a sister department to the Louisville Fire Department, the Louisville Salvage Corps was chartered in 1888 to protect property in the city of Louisville exposed to fire and water damage. Its founding was approved by the Louisville Board of Fire Underwriters and was funded by property assessments by its member insurance companies. After the Great Depression, insurance companies began to argue that these functions should be assumed by municipal fire departments and the Louisville Salvage Corps was disbanded in 1941.