Siren's Song

The old air raid siren has been silenced by time and world events. It no longer sounds off with that eerie, haunting wail that once echoed throughout Beaumont during the 1950s and early 1960s. At the time, many across the country believed that blasts of the siren and “duck and cover” drills in school would save lives if the Russians launched a surprise nuclear attack.
But the Cuban Missile Crisis passed, test ban treaties were signed and the Cold War ended. The “all-clear” signal, however, didn’t mean the end of duty for a venerable air raid siren in a small town. Growing up in Beaumont, people knew it was lunch time when the siren went off at noon. For years, volunteer firefighters kept an ear out for distinctive tones that said, “Stop what you’re doing, and head for the station immediately.”

Silent vigil

But today, the siren’s wail has gone quiet, perhaps forever. Seemingly relentless woodpeckers have pockmarked every square inch of a pole that the almost forgotten siren rests upon. Today, families enjoying a quiet Sunday afternoon in the Stewart Park never even glance up and notice the siren. If they did, most would be puzzled. The solitary siren keeps a silent vigil of its own—a throwback to a bygone era.

Staying safe

The era of air raid sirens was also a time when some Americans built bomb shelters in their backyards, listened to transistors radios and watched black and white televisions. There was the persistent worry of a giant flash, a mushroom cloud and the end of the world. It was an age when youngsters wrapped their arms over their heads, coiled themselves under school desks, and turned away from windows. They were acting out what many had seen in a 1951 Civil Defense movie called “Duck and Cover.” It starred Bert the Turtle who saved himself when danger arrived by ducking inside his shell. Today, you can find Bert the Turtle on YouTube. And if you look up in Stewart Park, you will see an old guardian looking out over Beaumont.