The Early History of the West Side Whistle House and Hose Company No. 4

The oldest extant building associated with the Middleborough Fire Department is the West Side Whistle House which stands upon the grounds of the Middleborough Historical Museum on Jackson Street.

The Whistle House was constructed in 1889 to house Hose Company No. 4 which was established that same year to provide fire protection to the West Side of Middleborough, a neighborhood which grew rapidly following 1855. In his annual report for 1888, Middleborough Fire Chief Walter M. Snow recommended "that a hose carriage and company be located at the West End, near the corner of West and May streets, as that territory is now unprotected." Residents of the Fire District which held the responsibility of providing fire protection to central Middleborough agreed, authorizing the establishment of a Building Committee at its annual meeting on January 21, 1889. Acting as the Building Committee was the entire Board of Engineers for the department, consisting of Eugene P. LeBaron (who had replaced Snow as chief), First Assistant Luther S. Bailey, Second Assistant Charles M. Kingman, Third Assistant Amos H. Eaton and Fourth Assistant Samuel S. Bourne. The Committee was charged with the task "to purchase and secure land for hose hoses, and to build two hose houses and purchase a hose reel." (The second hose house was to be located on Courtland Street near the Bay State Straw Works).

Land was accordingly purchased at the corner of Vine and May Streets for $250 and a hose house erected in mid-1889 "16 feet wide by 30 feet long, with 10 feet posts, all finished in good order, for $400 ....".

To man the house, Hose Company No. 4 was formed, being comprised of West Side residents. Twenty-five year old Dennis D. Sullivan acted as the company's first foreman, Carlton W. Maxim (who would later serve as Fire Chief and found Maxim Motors) was named First Assistant; William Keyes was named Second Assistant; and M. F. Cronan was appointed clerk. The company's two hosemen were Thomas Boucher and James J. O'Hara, while E. E. McCarthy and A. A. Belcher served as hydrantmen.  Given that the ethnic composition of the West Side at that time was heavily Irish, it is not surprising to find that the make-up of Company No. 4 was predominantly Irish.

Initially, the May Street Hose House was equipped with 600 feet of cotton rubber-lined hose with which to combat fires. Maintenance of these hoses following a fire was time consuming. After each fire, the hoses needed to be cleaned and dried, a process which took a number of days. Because of the length of time involved in doing this work and the small amount of surplus hose available to the various companies in town, Middleborough was frequently vulnerable following each fire. Consequently, Middleborough's Board of Fire Engineers constantly recommended the purchase of additional hose, and in this they were largely successful, adding hose to each of its hose companies throughout the period. The May Street Hose House's complement of 600 feet was increased by 1893 to 800 feet of hose, 900 by 1896, and 1000 by 1899.

The first fire which Hose Company 4 is on record as having responded to occurred March 15, 1890, at the house of William Downing on the corner of West Street and LeBaron Avenue, only a short distance from the May Street House House. The alarm rang from box 55 on Vine Street, and Hose Company 4, along with Hose Companies 2 and 6, Hook and Ladder Company 1, and Chemical Engine 1 responded. The companies made short order of the fire which had been sparked when a burning chimney had set fire to Downing's roof.

Fortunately, fires remained infrequent. In its first full year of existence, Hose Company No. 4 was required to respond to only six alarms, one of which (on the Fourth of July) turned out to be a false one. Figures for subsequent years similarly reveal the fortunately irregular need for Company 4's services: 1892 (3 calls), 1893 (1 call), 1894 (4 calls), 1895 (2 calls), 1896 (1 call), 1897 (3 calls), 1898 (5 calls), 1899 (3 calls) Ultimately, rules were adopted requiring Company 4 to respond to all alarms calls originating from certain specified boxes all largely on the West Side and Everett Square area, but also including the Four Corners and the Town Hall. In the event the company was not required to respond, its members were expected to report to the May Street Hose House "and wait twenty minutes for the Second Alarm. Should it not be given in that time, members are permitted to retire."

Despite the relative rarity of fires, those that did occur were frightening. On July 15, 1895, the Company responded to the largest fire since its establishment six years earlier when the LeBaron Foundry on Vine Street caught fire. "The main building was well afire before the alarm was rung in." The entire Fire Department, including Company 4, responded and quickly had nine streams of water on the building, the most since the devastating Central Baptist Church fire of 1888. Much of the foundry complex was ruined in the fire. "Recall for 'all out' rung in about 11 p. m., but members of Hose Company No. 4 kept three streams on the ruins nearly all night."

MEMBERS OF MIDDLEBOROUGH HOSE COMPANY NO. 4 1889-99

Dennis D. Sullivan 1889-92

C. W. Maxim 1889

William Keyes 1889

M. F. Cronan 1889-90

Thomas Boucher 1889-

James J. O'Hara 1889-

E. E. McCarthy 1889-90

A. A. Belcher 1889

John J. Sullivan 1890-

Thomas B. West 1890-94

John Morrissey 1890-92

Patrick Howes 1891

John Sheppard 1892

Arthur Wilcox 1892

John J. Morrison 1893-95, 1899-

Patrick A. Grant 1893-

James Galligan 1893-96

Owen A. Lloyd 1893-96

Edmund Burke 1895

Luke F. Callan 1896-

William H. Flynn 1897-

J. T. Plunket 1897-98

P. E. Butler 1897

Martin McCarthy 1898

J. Cronan 1899

FOREMEN

Dennis D. Sullivan 1889-92

John J. Morrison 1892-95

John J. Sullivan 1896-

Middleborough's New Fire Station, 1926

In 1925, it was proposed to replace the then-outdated School Street Engine House with a new and modern central fire station on North Main Street.  Details of the new central station designed by Middleborough architect Wilson G. Harlow were announced in the pages of the Middleboro Gazette in October, 1925.  The North Main Street station was dedicated the following year, and served until 2003 when it was replaced by the present structure.

Middleboro’s new fire station as represented in the above illustration is to be erected in accordance with plans submitted by Wilson G. Harlow, local architect.

The main building will be two stories high, 50 feet front and 70 feet deep, in which will be located three doors entering the main apparatus room on the first floor, with sleeping quarters, bath, lounging room, kitchen and store room on the second floor.

On each side of the main building there will be wings 15 feet wide and one story high, thus the width in front will be 80 feet.

The whole building will be constructed of red brick with white mortar joints and trimmed with light cast stone resembling granite.

The wing on the north side will be used for the forest fire truck, spare hose and general storage. In the south wing provisions have been made for the chief’s car when the time comes for Middleboro to have a permanent chief; the signal or watch room, and in the rear of this wing will be a fire-proof vault in which will be located the fire alarm apparatus and battery room.

The entrance for the men or visitors will be in the center of this wing, through a hall to the main apparatus room, and from this, hall stairs will lead to the second floor and the basement.

In the basement will be located the heating plant, hose drying racks, work shop and acid room.

In the rear of the building there will be an entrance to the main apparatus room, as well as an opportunity to drive into the basement.

Work will start immediately on the cellar and foundation, but owing to the additional expense and poor workmanship which is likely to be obtained, it is not intended to lay any brick this winter. Everything will be gotten ready, however, during the winter, so that an early start can be made in the spring, and the building will be ready for occupancy next fall.

Illustration:
Middleborough Fire Station, Middleborough, MA, architectral rendering, Wilson G.Harlow, 1925.

Source:
“Middleboro’s New Fire Station.”, Middleboro Gazette, October 16, 1925, page 1.

The Annual Firemen's Ball

On May 9, 1893, the Middleborough Fireman’s Mutual Relief Association was organized with the aim of providing financial assistance to members who were injured in the line of duty. In order to raise funds for this purpose, the Association (the forerunner of the Middleboro Fireman’s Association) began sponsoring balls, the first Firemen’s Ball being held, most likely, in 1893.

Previously there had always been a large social component to the activities of the Middleborough Fire Department, including suppers and dances. Dances were held in the hall above the former central fire station on School Street, and occasionally became so rowdy that use of the hall had to be suspended.

The Firemen’s Balls were less raucous but more popular affairs. The balls were usually held in Middleborough Town Hall in February of each year and were attended by literally hundreds of guests. 700 participants alone were recorded as having attended the 1923 ball. Music, dancing and the finest refreshments from local vendors were featured at each ball which helped relieve the monotony of winter and made the Firemen’s Ball the most anticipated social event of each year. The 1922 ball was described as the “most brilliant of the season”.

While the funds raised by the balls were typically devoted to the use of the veterans and members of the Middleborough Fire Department, during World War I proceeds were donated to various war-related causes, including the soldiers at Fort Devens in 1918 and the Red Cross in 1919.

The Firemen’s Balls seem to have lapsed with the onset of the Depression, the last noted in the Middleboro Gazette being that of 1930.

Middleboro Firemen's Relief Association Annual Concert and Ball, dance card, 1913

School Street Engine House

Middleborough’s first “Central Fire Station” was the School Street Engine House which stood for just over a century on the east side of School Street opposite the School Street School. Raised in 1855 by the Middleborough Fire District (forerunner of the Middleborough Fire Department), the engine house was a two and one-half story building, with two bays for engines on the ground floor, and a commodious hall on the second floor. It was Middleborough's second firehouse (the engine house on Oak Street predated it by a mere two years) and was built in response to calls by Four Corners’ residents and businesses for improved fire protection in the neighborhood.

The School Street engine house was built to house Hook & Ladder Company No. 1 which had been only recently organized at the time. The Fire District appears initially to have leased the land upon which the building stood, for it was not purchased until May, 1859, when the owners, Perkins, Leonard & Barrows, which operated a shoe manufactory on the corner of School and Center Streets, sold the back 200 square feet of their lot.

Though the School Street station played an invaluable role in the provision of fire services throughout the Fire District, this role was sometimes overshadowed by the engine house's social aspect. Its second floor "Engine Hall" hosted numerous social functions throughout the years, including the firemen's ball. At one point, in 1873, drinking in the hall had to be banned by the Fire Engineers "on account of the barbarous actions of young men from out of town." This seems to have been an exception, for the entertainments provided were generally sedate and in keeping with the dignified nature of the department.

Over the years, the School Street station housed a number of hand-drawn companies. The last were the Enterprise Hook & Ladder Company No. 1, Chemical Engine No. 1, and Central Hose Company No. 1. Beginning in 1912, however, the Middleborough Fire Department initiated a conversion to motorized apparatus when it acquired its first motorized engine (and its first new addition since 1889) in the form of a Knox combination engine. The Knox Combination No. 1, became the showpiece of the department. Housed at the School Street house, the Knox made redundant and replaced both the chemical engine and hose company stationed there.

The recognized need for a second motorized engine coupled with eventual dissatisfaction with the district’s Knox model prompted Chief Engineer Carlton W. Maxim to develop his own combination fire truck. This model, which Maxim designated simply as Model F, became the first Maxim-built engine and was proudly delivered to the Middleborough Fire Department in 1914, to be housed at the Oak Street station.

In the autumn of 1914, proposals were made and ultimately adopted for the rationalization and centralization of Middleborough's fire services. The School Street engine house was enlarged by a one-bay addition on its south side in 1915 at which time the original portion of the structure was remodeled and updated. The Maxim Combination No. 2 was relocated into the newly renovated building from Oak Street, as was the fire alarm equipment, and the Oak Street house was abandoned, as were the other engine houses, thereby conferring upon the School Street building the status of "Central Fire Station." (The East Main Street fire house was sold in 1920 and its Oak Street counterpart in 1923).

Apparently, however, when the alterations were made to the School Street facility, neither the Maxim's length nor the street's width at that point (40 feet) had been duly considered, leading to an unanticipated problem: "There is not room enough for the truck to make the turn from the street." The matter was resolved in time, and the engine house, despite its age and wood frame structure became noted as "one of the best appointed fire stations of any place in this part of the state."

The School Street engine house witnessed the complete motorization of the department when in 1915 the aging hand-drawn Enterprise Hook & Ladder was replaced by a motorized Maxim "Cities Service" truck. At this time, the Middleborough Fire Department was one of the area's first completely motorized fire departments.

Sadly, however, the School Street engine house soon afterwards began showing signs of its advanced age, particularly its floor which sagged under the combined weight of three engines and was propped up by makeshift timbers. The condition of the firehouse touched off a discussion concerning its continued viability and prompted repair work in 1923 by local contractor George Starbuck. Eventually, a decision was taken to replace the School Street engine house with a new Central Fire Station, erected on North Main Street in 1926.

The souvenir program for the dedication of the 1926 station recalled its predecessor: "The real veteran of the department is the School Street station, ... now battle-scarred and supported by a veritable forest of timbers and posts in its basement, and now after three score and ten years gracefully laying down its responsibilities, and yielding up to its handsome and spacious successor the duty and privilege of housing the thoroughly up-to-date department of 1926."

Following its abandonment by the fire department in 1926, the School Street engine house serve a variety of purposes which were documented in Mertie Romaine's History of the Town of Middleboro:

The building was used in 1928 by Alvin C. Howes and Dr. Willard Howes of Detroit who operated the Howes Manufacturing Company which made microscopic slides. When they vacated, it became the home of E. W. Peirce Post 8, Grand Army of the Republic, the members having been forced to look for a new home after demolition of Peirce Academy in 1932. At the advent of World War II, the Post shared its quarters with Middleboro Chapter of American Red Cross. Both floors of the old building were filled with workers busy rolling bandages, making compresses, packing finished articles for shipment overseas, working day and night to provide the hospital supplies so vitally needed in those harrowing days of war. [Romaine:566].

Following a period of disuse, the School Street engine house was pulled down in 1958.

Illustrations:
School Street Engine House, photograph, c. 1930
This snapshot of the facade of the School Street Engine House depicts the original gable-roofed two and one-half story 1855 building on the left and the flat-roofed 1915 addition to the right. Built in an age of hand-drawn "engines", the fire house was constructed close to the street, too close in fact to permit the motorized Maxim engine which was housed there after 1915 to be turned easily into School Street.

School Street Engine House, photograph, c. 1930

Sources:
Middleboro Gazette
Romaine, Mertie E. History of the Town of Middleboro, Massachusetts. (Middleborough, MA: Town of Middleborough, 1969).

Central Fire Station

Middleborough's original Central Fire Station was a two-story woodframe building located on the east side of School Street nearly opposite the School Street School. The station served nearly three-quarters of a century before being replaced by a modern brick structure on North Main Street in 1926. The 1926 station was designed by local architect of note Wilson G. Harlow who was responsible for several other local buildings, including the original portion of what is now the Mayflower Co-operative Bank on South Main Street. The new Central Fire Station was dedicated on December 30, 1926. The program for the day's event included a photograph of the new station on the cover, with a brief history of the department featured on the inside.

In 2003, the Central Fire Station was replaced with the present structure which was designed to incorporate some stylistic elements of its successor.

Illustration:

Dedication of the Central Fire Station, dedication program, 8.25 in. x 9 in., paper, December 30, 1926

The program was printed by H. L. Thatcher & Company of Middleborough.

Chemical Fire Engine

The town of Middleboro' has had considerable difficulty in getting a chemical fire engine. After considerable delay it was shipped, but went astray in transportation and had to be looked up. Finally it arrived but was unaccompanied by necessary equipment, so at present it is entirely useless. [Old Colony Memorial, November 30, 1882, p. 4].

Apparently by the time the above photograph was taken of Middleborough Chemical Engine No. 1 outside the Middleborough railroad depot, the necessary equipment had been located and put to use.

The new chemical engine, just put in commission in the Middleboro fire department, is one of the best and handsomest of its class. The two cylinders hold thirty-five gallons each, and when in readiness for service the apparatus weighs about 2800 pounds. It is in charge of a company of fifteen men, and bids fair to be a very efficient piece of machinery. [Old Colony Memorial, December 14, 1882, p. 4]

Illustration:
Chemical Fire Engine Company, photograph, late 19th century.
The company depicted includes (standing left to right): E. F. Doherty, John J. Walsh, Thomas Curley, James E. Murphy, Seth Holmes, James Curley, Michael Leahy, Timothy Creedon, William J. Taylor and John M. Luippold. Ira Tinkham is seated at the front of the engine and Henry D. Smith at the rear.