Coit Tower in San Francisco

"Coit Tower in San Francisco"

Location: San Francisco, California

Lillie Hitchcock Coit, while still in school, came upon the Knickerbocker No. 5, an understaffed and struggling volunteer fire engine (there was no city fire department at the time) trying to maneuver a fire engine up a steep hill of San Francisco. Coit immediately tossed her school books aside and ran to the aid of the men pulling the engine.

What Coit’s 15-year-old arms couldn’t do, her voice could, as she yelled at more passersby to help instead of standing there. Because of Coit’s pleas for help, the fire engine made it to its destination and succeeded in extinguishing the fire. From then on, Lillie Hitchcock Coit, or ‘Firebelle Lil’ Coit as she came to be known, was given the title of honorary firefighter. Firebelle Lil’ was even celebrated alongside the men of the Knickerbocker No. 5 in parades and floats throughout the city.

Coit was a voracious gambler, often the only woman in the game, and rumors have it that she would sometimes disguise herself as a man in order to get into some of the more high roller “no dames allowed” underground games. Coit also was an avid hunter, shocking the men around her with her expert sharpshooting skills.

After Lillie Hitchcock Coit died in 1929, she left one-third of her estate to the city of San Francisco. After some consideration, it was decided that the money should be used to build Coit tower on Telegraph Hill and statue in Washington Square Park.

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Color Changing Fine Art Print
Photographer: David Mark
Composition by: EFX Gallery
© 2022 EFX™ Gallery

Keywords: coit, tower, san francisco, california, historic, landmark, bay, harbor, nighttime, night, blue

Source: "The Real Story of Coit Tower", by Kayla Mahoney, November 12, 2019, https://museumhack.com/coit-tower/