HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
The 1927 firehouse-turned-museum where Robert Leland Knight, the department's first line-of-duty fatality, reportedly still walks the halls
1022 W Las Olas Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Free admission; operated by the City of Fort Lauderdale
Access
Wheelchair OK
Single-story converted firehouse with paved interior
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1927 · Historic 1927 firehouse · Site of Fort Lauderdale's first line-of-duty firefighter death · Listed among notable haunted fire museums in the U.S.
Fire Station No. 3 opened in 1927 on West Las Olas Boulevard, one of several stations built as Fort Lauderdale expanded beyond its original downtown footprint. The Mediterranean Revival-style station served the department for more than seventy-five years, housing apparatus and crews through hurricanes, the city's postwar growth surge, and the development of the suburban corridors to the west.
The station's most documented fatality came on an ordinary response in 1940. Robert Leland Knight, a firefighter who had been on the force for only twelve days, was electrocuted when he stepped into a puddle that had been charged by a downed power line during or after a call. He was 28 years old. Knight became the first Fort Lauderdale firefighter killed in the line of duty.
The city decommissioned the station after 2004, when the facility was no longer needed by the department. Rather than demolish or repurpose the historic building, Fort Lauderdale renovated it as the Fire and Safety Museum. Exhibits include photos, videos, historic uniforms, and equipment, along with documentation on the major fires and emergencies that challenged the department through the twentieth century. The museum has hosted the city's annual September 11 remembrance ceremonies in 2024 and 2025.
Sources
The paranormal lore at the Fort Lauderdale Fire and Safety Museum is specifically tied to Robert Leland Knight's electrocution death in 1940. Knight had been on the force for only twelve days when he stepped into a puddle charged by a downed power line and was fatally electrocuted at age 28. His cause of death — electrical current through water — tracks directly to the physical phenomena his presence is said to produce.
Firefighters who worked at the station before its museum conversion reported unexplained tingling sensations in their legs while relaxing in the common areas, as though mild electrical current were passing through the floor. Other accounts describe seeing sets of eyes reflected in television screens and darkened windows during night shifts, locked doors swinging open without a visible cause, and lights activating independently. The phenomena were persistent enough that the station developed an informal reputation among Fort Lauderdale firefighters before any public paranormal coverage of the site.
FireRescue1, a trade publication for fire service professionals, listed the museum as one of six haunted fire stations in the United States. The spirit is described as playful rather than malevolent — 'pranks' rather than threat — consistent with the pattern of electrical interference attributed to Knight's specific cause of death.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Free admission to exhibits covering Fort Lauderdale fire rescue history, including historic uniforms, equipment, photographs, and documentation of major fires and emergencies. Housed in the original 1927 firehouse, which was decommissioned after 2004 and renovated as a museum.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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