Royal Arcanum Tenants Dedicated to Insuring Lives

Once there was a tower in Norfolk from which Rapunzel could have let down her hair. Rising

from the east end of the Royal Arcanum building (built in 1904), it served as a hose tower for the

Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department (NVFD). The Royal Arcanum was a joint venture between

the NVFD and the Wangum Council of the Royal Arcanum, founded in Boston in 1877 for the

purpose of providing life insurance for its members. The Wangum Council needed meeting

rooms and the NVFD, organized in 1902, wanted a brick fire-walled facility for its equipment.

Architect Alfredo Taylor produced the distinctive design with patterned red and green brickwork,

colorful tile panels, and the fanciful tower. Have you wondered about the heraldic lettering

VMC on the entrance fronting Station Place? The letters stand for the Royal Arcanum’s three

governing principles: virtue, mercy, and charity. Its mandate of 1899, “to unite fraternally all

white men of sound bodily health and good moral character who are socially acceptable,” has

been rewritten today in less exclusive terms.

Ann Havemeyer

Photo @ Norfolk Historical Society