Hackettstown Fire Department History
In 1855, a group of local men bought a hand
pumper, which is still preserved and in working condition at the Moore Street
Firehouse. This pumper is believed to have been built in London, England in
the late 17th. century. Operated solely by manpower, this pumper was capable
of throwing a stream of water 50 or more feet in the air at a rate of 78 gallons
per minute.
On December 3, 1877, these dedicated men banned together
and formed the Cataract Hose Company #1. Meeting in Klotz & Ackley's butcher
shop on Main Street, thirty-six charter members dedicated themselves to the
protection of life and property in Hackettstown. The constitution and by-laws
of the organization were adopted on April 18, 1878 and became an incorporated
company on July 1, 1891.
The Hackettstown Firemen's Relief Association was
born on May 23, 1879 whereby firemen could help each other in times of illness
or death.
Their first equipment consisted of a two-wheeled
hose cart and the hand pumper, to which they fastened 10-foot lengths of leather
hose when they reached the scene of the fire. Each firemen carried a section
of this riveted hose, kept workable by the constant conditioning with neatsfoot
oil. Water for the pumper was supplied from a brook or a well by the bucket
brigade.
Their early celebrations consisted of dinner dances
at Warren House Hotel on Main Street, but on August 30, 1907 a gigantic parade
was held, to which more then 10,000 people came to enjoy or participate in.
It was quite an accomplishment to have an affair that large as at that time
the only way to get men and equipment for town to town was by the train or
horse.
Prior to 1900 there was at least three different
firehouses or engine houses. In 1900 the main building was erected on Moore
Street with the truck bays being added in 1950, when the old wooden floor
couldn't stand the weight of the modern trucks. As the town grew, a need was
seen for another fire station and in 1971 the Miller Street Firehouse was
built.
On October 30, 1899 the Cataract Hose Co. #1 was
called on to fight its first major fire when the main building at Centenary
College for Women was completely destroyed. It was at this fire that the need
for a group of of men to man the ladders was evident and in 1901 the Vigilant
Hook & Ladder Company #1 was organized by more dedicated townspeople.
In 1942 the Cook Department Store and the Peoples
Bank were leveled by a major fire that hit the town's business district. Hackettstown
has seen the destruction of two lumberyard in town-the Hackettstown Coal &
Lumber Co. in March of 1956 and the Williams and Hibler Lumberyard in August
of 1970.
In December of 1946 the women of the firemen's families
organized a Ladies' Auxiliary. By providing refreshments at extended fires
and financial support, these women have provided and invaluable service to
the Hackettstown Fire Department and the town.
During the early years only a few alarms of fire were given
per year, but today the dedicated men of the Hackettstown Fire Department
answer between 300 and 400 alarms per year. Whether it be day or night, when
someone needs help and the alarm is sounded, the dedicated men of the Hackettstown
Fire Department will be on their way, in a matter of minutes, to answer the
call.
Charter Members of The Hackettstown Fire Department
William A. Ackley |
George W. King |
Ted Ackley |
John S. Keggan |
Jacob Albers |
Nat Luff |
Elias Bell |
Theodore Menagh |
Eugene Bilby |
Jacob McCracken |
James Brant |
Joseph McCracken |
Henry S. Boettiger |
John Niper |
Richard R. Clark |
James L. Smith |
Jacob Creveling |
George W. Smith |
William D. Cramer |
James K. Swick |
Wilson Daley |
A. D. Snyder |
George T. Everitt |
F. J. Smith |
James E. Gerard Sr. |
George Titus |
O. H. Hummer |
E. F. Tuttle |
R. O. Howell |
H. W. Vorhees |
F. W. Halsey |
Jacob Van Sickle |
William Hairhouse |
Charles N. Wade |
Nathan Klotz |
Joseph D. Klotz |
F.H. MacClellan |
F.J. Riedinger |
Frank Niper |
Herbert Ellor |
William Ayers |
Daniel Harris |
Lewis A. Berkhardt |
John S. McLean |
Harry Nolan |
Ben F. Skinner |
William A. Park |
Charles Osmun |
Sanford Clark |
Edgar M. Parks |
Roscoe T. Hart |
Morris Valentine |
Robert K. Teel |
John P. Everitt |
Roscoe Ayers |
George B. Wert |
Frank C. Brant