| Fire
Marks are plates, usually made of metal, which the early
fire insurance companies placed in a prominent position
on the buildings they insured.
The Marks
were nailed to insured buildings on the wall, usually
between windows at the second floor level, so as to be
out of reach of pilferers. The aim was to identify a
property which was insured when only principal streets
were named and houses were still not numbered. At first
the Marks were molded in lead. Later they were made of
copper and the early ones were usually numbered to tally
with the policy number.
E.
V. Jackson
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