In towns as old as Derry, it's hard to find a year that isn't the anniversary of something. The year 2008 is the 100th anniversary of the start of the Derry Electric Company and the bicentennial of purchase of the first official set of weights and measures for the town of Londonderry. Whoopee! The chances are pretty slim that either of these anniversaries will be judged worthy of much of a celebration.
The year 2008 is, however, an anniversary year of an event that we should get "all fired-up" about, one that should be celebrated with some kind of public huzzah with a community picnic and certainly a parade down Broadway. This year is, by my calculations, the 125th anniversary of founding of the Derry Fire Department. Its early records have recently been archived in the fire-proof vault of the Derry Museum of History.
On Aug. 19, 1882 most of downtown Derry was destroyed by a fire. Within minutes, the hotel, blocks of stores, the depot, post office and pool hall were charred ruins. The buildings that were saved were spared only because of the heroic efforts of the Manchester fire department. In just 39 minutes after receiving the telegraph message, the Queen City's firemen and pumper had arrived in Derry by train.
Just two days after the great fire, a public meeting was held at the Association Hall-now the Academy Antique Shop in Derry Village. There it was decided that Derry needed fire protection. The town meeting in March 1883 voted to spend $3,000 to establish three separate fire departments. It was voted to divide the money this way: $1,500 for a fire department in Derry Depot (Broadway), $900 for another one in Derry Village and $600 for an East Derry fire department. Derry Depot got the bulk of the money, because it was the most urbanized part of the town and its shoe factory, depot, creamery and stores were critical aspects of the town's economy.
On May 12, 1883, the boundaries of the Depot Fire Dept. were established. Their section of the town began at the junction of the West Running and Beaver brooks. The rest of the bounds are rather confusing today. They used as boundaries the names of landowners who were alive in 1882 — such as "by the land of Emma Boyd" and by trees with blazes cut into their bark. The western boundary of the Depot District was the Londonderry town line.
The first official meeting of the new Derry Depot Fire Department was held at Smith's Hall on May 30, 1883. The meeting chose five men to serve as "fire wards or engineers." The meeting appointed a committee to report on the cost of a fire engine, fire station and a reliable water supply.
A month later, another meeting approved the purchase of a fire engine. The committee had managed to buy a used Button hand pumper from the town of Peabody, Mass., for the bargain price of $300. This was a small "engine" that could be pulled by either a horse or a team of men. Water was put into the tank of the engine by a squad of men with buckets. Other firemen pumped up and down on a bar to force the water through the hose. The new engine was named the Volunteer. They also had to purchase separately 450 feet of "woven cotton rubber lined hose" for $424.25 from the American Fire Hose Company.
On the Fourth of July, the firemen decided to try out their new fire engine in a public demonstration on Broadway. They filled Volunteer's tank with water and started to pump. Soon their hard work paid off. The water forced its way through 200 feet of hose and shot about 200 feet into the air through an inch-wide nozzle. The Independence Day crowd gathered near the depot, cheered at the prowess of the Volunteer and its sweating team of pumpers. The firemen later modestly said that pumping "wasn't that hard ... after all."
To provide a home for the Volunteer, the Depot Fire Dept. purchased for $500 a small building from the Baptist Church. This structure had originally been built to serve as a chapel until the present church at Broadway and Crystal Ave was built. At a cost of $65, the building was hauled to a lot just behind the Hood granary. This site is now the southern part of the parking lot at the town's municipal center. For $1,000, two brick-lined cisterns were constructed to provide water in case of fire. Water was pumped to the surface by small windmills.
On July 5, 1883, a volunteer fire company of 50 men was organized. Originally each fireman was to be paid $3 a year. This was increased to $5 in 1886 and $50 per annum in 1904. While actually fighting fires, the men were paid an additional sum — in 1892 this was 30 cents an hour.
In 1909, the name of the Derry Depot Fire Department was officially changed to the Derry Fire Department. In 1920 the Derry Village Fire Department was disbanded and the Derry Fire Department took over fire protection for that part of the town. In 2005, after years of rancor and negotiations, the East Derry Fire Department merged with the Derry Fire Department.
Happy 125th birthday Derry Fire Department. For a century and a quarter, your members have served us with bravery, honor and professionalism. We're proud of you all.
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Rick Holmes is the town historian, and "Nutfield Rambles," his latest book, is available at the Derry Museum of History, 29 West Broadway.
