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SOUTHOLD FIRE DEPARTMENT BEGINNINGS
What would you do if your home or business were threatened with destruction by fire and there was no fire department to call? This was the question faced by the residents of Southold Village on a cold January evening in 1886 when they assembled in Belmont Hall to consider the crucial matter of fire protection in their community.
Through the course of that meeting and the two that followed, residents established the Fireman’s Aid Association of Southold, charged a committee with the task of investigating appropriate equipment and raised funds {$160.00 from “up-town” and $90.00 from “down-town”} for the support of their new enterprise. Membership in the association was encouraged with those who subscribed to the Fire Department Fund being excused from the 25 cent initiation fee.
Protection Engine Company No.1 was created Saturday, February 13, 1886 in Belmont Hall, . H. H. Huntting was elected Foreman along with R. S. Sturges, O. A. Prince and E. L. Conklin as other officers. Committees were established to draft by-laws, investigate equipment and uniform purchases. On the same day Eagle Hook and Ladder Company No.1 held their first official meeting at the old Case house near the corner of Boisseau Avenue and Main Street. After a brief election, H. G. Booth was elected Foreman; Wm. A Glover, Assistant Foreman; Wm. Cochran, Secretary and John Singley, Treasurer.
Secretary Cochran read the proposed by-laws to the membership for approval and after several amendments were made, the motion for their acceptance was carried. The design for the uniforms met with as much discussion. A lively debate ensued and eventually a blue blouse with eagle breast work, red belt and black derby hat became the official uniform of Eagle Hook and Ladder Company. March 8th was voted on and accepted as the next meeting date, with this the men were dismissed.
Thus a viable fire department was born, and a prominent period in the history of Southold was recorded.
At a February 25, 1886 Protection Engine meeting it was decided to purchase Engine No.245 as shown in the current Rumsey manufacturers catalog and the search was begun for a structure to house Southold’s first fire engine. Initially, the Van Dusen barn was used for the purpose until May of 1886 when an agreement was reached to rent the basement of the Cochran home next to Belmont Hall at a rate of $25.00 per year. An entry in the engine log book stated, “the 1st fire for engines use - an ice house by the creek - supposition it was set afire to try out the new engine.”
This original hand pumper, an 1886 Rumsey, which can still throw a stream of water almost one hundred feet can be seen today at the Southold firehouse.
Not wishing to leave their new pumper in residential quarters indefinitely, the men of Protection Engine appointed C. M. Ledyard and H. H. Lewis ”to seek about hiring a place or leasing a spot of ground to build our Engine House.” Their work proved fruitful as a deal was struck to purchase a lot on the southwest corner of Beckwith Avenue and Traveler Street where construction was begun on the first firehouse, a building which still stands to this day. Work on the new firehouse proceeded quickly under the guidance of local craftsmen with much of the material being supplied from vendors in Long Island City by way of the Long Island Railroad.
In early 1886 John Singley Jr. a man of talent and affluence, played a leading role in the formative years of Hook and Ladder. Already elected Treasurer, Singerly enjoyed a reputation as a skilled wagon maker and blacksmith. His prowess in his field was noted by his fellow firemen and he was called upon to build Hook and Ladders first Hand Truck, absorbing much of the cost himself.
With the Singerly truck completed, the Fourth of July parade gave ample opportunity for both Protection Engine and Hook and Ladder to show off their new apparatus and uniforms. The parade line of march began at the Albertson general store {across from Mullen Motors} and proceeded to the new Protection Engine house on Beckwith Avenue where the proud members of Southold’s two fire companies basked in the celebration of the day.
By September of 1886, Hook and Ladders membership had grown to 34 men. The services of John Singley would again be needed, as his generous offer to lease a building in his ownership was eagerly accepted. A committee consisting of John Quarty, J. B. Young and Wm. Gagen promptly procured the furnishings for the meeting room. This building would suffice until 1909.
To solidify their position with regard to land ownership and to assure continuity for the future, the men of Protection Engine Company voted to avail themselves of a recently enacted New York State law regarding volunteer fire companies and on March 30, 1888 Articles of Incorporation were filed in the name of Protection Engine Company No.1, making it the only one of Southold’s fire companies so constituted.
In 1889 the Universalist Church of Southold found their churches bell too strident for ecclesiastical purposes and the congregation offered for use in the new firehouse. The offer was accepted with alacrity, and the bell was hung with great care in a belfry constructed to support its weight. The bell, Southold’s first fire alarm, may be seen today in a place of honor in front of the Southold firehouse.
Lest it be thought that the men of Protection Engine had a one way affair with the church, it should be noted that the Company minutes for November and December, 1906 indicate a donation “to the larders of Universalist Church Society $10.00 Toward building new horse sheds. To replace the ones destroyed by fire.”
The following letter was read by the late H. W. Prince at the Harvest Home in 1888:
“About two years ago, a goodly number of our citizens thought it time that something be done towards purchasing fire apparatus for extinguishing fires, as we had not even a ladder.
“A few volunteered to see what could be done, and on one blustery afternoon started out on a soliciting tour. By night they had a goodly amount of money subscribed towards purchasing a fire engine. Messrs. Terry, Lewis, Gomez and perhaps other merchants, wrote to parties they dealt with asking aid and they met with very good response.
“The Suffolk County Insurance Company gave $25.00
“J. B. Terry, W. H. Terry and H. H. Huntting were appointed committee to ascertain what a hand engine would cost and were empowered with authority to purchase one, which they did at a cost of $312.00
“I called at the office of the Long Island Railroad and asked that it be transported to Southold for free. Said request was granted. In the mean time our enterprising citizen J. Singley, was at work building a hook and ladder truck and ladders on his own account, which was subsequently finished, and proved to be a very fine one and did Mr. Singley much credit as to workmanship, and style.
“A public meeting was called and an origination, since known as the `Fireman’s aid` was organized, with H. W. Prince, president, and M. B. Van Dusen, secretary.
“Two companies were formed, one called the Hook and Ladder company and the other the Protection Engine company, numbering twenty men. Both companies both procured hats, and belts at their own expense. I will here say that citizens subscribed and paid Mr. Singley $100.oo as part payment for the truck, Mr. Singley donating the remainder.
“We have had three fires since and the firemen were soon on hand and did good work, staying on the spot in the case of the hotel barn from about 11 p.m. until daylight the next morning.
“As usual our people were alive to their responsibility and saw and saw that more water was needed. One day three of our public spirited citizens, Dr. Hartranft, J. B. Terry and John Stevens met near the residence of Dr Hartranft and each gave $20.00 towards building a fire cistern near that spot. $60.00 was a good beginning. In a few days $163.00 was collected and placed in the hands of H. W. Prince to be expended in the building of three public cisterns. As you all very well know, they were built and tonight , doubtless, are full of water, should a fire break in their immediate vicinity, we cannot tell how many thousands of dollars they would be worth to our villagers. Said cisterns cost $20.12, including drain pipe and laying of the same. Of that amount, $163.00 was paid by subscription, leaving a deficit of $46.12, which amount has since been paid from proceeds of Harvest Home.” {A copy was made when this letter was on loan in 1936 from Miss Edith Prince,}
During the 1890s and early 1900s as fire apparatus became more efficient, it was obvious to both Protection Engine and Hook and Ladder that the time had come to supplement their equipment. In 1903 Protection Engine took delivery of a larger American LaFrance pumper. This pump served admirably for many years, and included among its accomplishments the filling of a boiler on a Long Island Railroad steam locomotive on the evening of July 3, 1905; a service for which Protection Engine charged the Railroad the sum of $5.00 {the Southold Fire Dept. performed a similar service on a Railroad diesel engine in 1985. This time there was no charge.}.
In 1905 Hook and Ladder decided a new truck house was needed. A vote to lease the land in front of their present quarters was carried. The committee proposed a two story, 20 foot x 40 foot building consisting of a truck room below and a meeting area on the second floor. This motion was carried as was the motion that an oyster supper be the very first meal enjoyed upon the completion of the new truck house.
Through the years at their new location, Hook and Ladder’s membership was graced with many noteworthy individuals. Nat Booth, a man whose name became synonymous with the Southold Fire Department, was inducted into the ranks in 1910. His election to Chief Engineer began what is now the longest incumbency of any Southold chief, serving from 1914 to 1936.
George L Gaffga, another name that evokes thoughts of Southold Fire Department as well as longevity, remained active in the Fire Department for 77 years until his death in 1982.
Finally there was Pat Rooney, famous vaudevillian. Rooney joined Hook and ladder in June of 1909, and subsequently fell under close scrutiny of the press as well as his brother firemen. The gossip that appeared in the popular Brooklyn Eagle, teased good naturedly:
“Mr. Rooney became a member of the Southold Fire Company at its last meeting and is most enthusiastic for its welfare. When the alarm was given at a recent fire, Mr. Rooney reported on his bicycle. The team to draw the truck not having shown up, Mr. Rooney said he would then go home and get his automobile and pull the apparatus to the fire which was more than a mile distance. In his excitement and inexperience as a fireman, he dropped his wheel on the side walk and ran home for his machine a quarter of a mile or more away. He cranked the car and hurried to the truck house only to find the building empty and not knowing where the fire was, he went home.”
Rooney, who no doubt took his VAMP status seriously, occasionally performed benefits for Hook and Ladder in Belmont Hall. This so endured him to his brother firemen that they voted to hang his portrait in the truck house. An honor of unprecedented proportions!
Speculation plays a role for Hook and ladder during the years 1913 to 1923 as no available record has been found. The Huntting scrapbook of Southold Library’s Whitaker Collection records clearly the Truck House and contents being moved across Main Street and west by Hook and Ladder member Charles T. Gordon. Prior to this move a committee had reported the need to purchase 18,000 bricks from the Sanford Brickyard in Greenport for the fee of $5.00 per thousand. This motion was carried and the building eventually moved to its new location. Today, the building still stands, much as it appeared in 1913, and is now the Grateful Deli.
The years at this location, although important were largely uneventful. A new 1923 REO ladder truck was pressed into service. Near this time, both Eagle Hook and Ladder and Protection Engine sponsored Juvenile Fire Companies with the young boys of the community as enthusiastic members. Both companies supplied quarters for the youths' equipment. Great interest was created when the regular and juvenile companies participated in the various parades. Someone years ago wrote a poem about the boys and it began as follows.
“Eagle Juniors, Number One
You should see us when we run!
Raising ladders to the sky,
Rescuing babies from on high!”
Entering the 1920s, Protection Engine decided to upgrade its apparatus again and the Company became the proud custodian of a new Waterous fire engine, this time a fully mechanized model, so that the members could now drive their equipment to the fire ground as well as being relieved of the back breaking work of hand pumping.
So large was this new fire engine that the old front doors on the Beckwith Avenue firehouse had to be removed and new ones installed allowing access to the full width of the building. {In 1992 a Sutphen ladder truck would not fit when delivered to the Southold Firehouse and the upper molding on the garage door frame had to be cut off} At about the same time pipes were installed connecting the firehouse with the cistern out back so that the fire pumps could be tested without leaving the building. In addition , heat was supplied to the apparatus room and running water was brought in to the building for the first time.
1927 saw the formation of Packard Hose Company No.2. The best recollections tell us the reason No.2 was used is because of a by-laws change in the early years causing the Company to be reformed. It was originally formed by a group of younger members from Eagle Hook and Ladder and Protection Engine Companies as a result of the differences that abound in volunteer fire departments. Bill Rafford, who became the first captain of Packard Hose, was the apparent ring leader of the splinter group of young fireman with a following of 25 or 30 others. It is said that there were “at least five Dickersons” in the group. Packard Hose quickly grew to 40 members and became an important part of the Southold Fire Department.
The name “Packard” came from the companies first fire apparatus. A twelve cylinder early 1920’s vintage Packard automobile donated by W. D. Faulkner to be converted into a “hose cart” which served the company for many years. Most the conversion was made by Charlie Ocame. He is fondly remembered as an excellent ice skater having one day skated from Peconic to Southold on the iced over Main Road. It was in the late 1930s when Packard Hose received it first real fire truck, a new Maxim Pumper. Known as Maxim I, its chief driver for many years was John Norklun. Jeb Hobson is credited with keeping it in good operating order and always ready for an emergency, Jeb Hobson was an active Packard Hose Company member and may have been the only African-American volunteer fireman in Suffolk County at the time.
Throughout the 1930s Packard fielded an outstanding basketball team. Hummer Prince, a charter member of Packard Hose, served on that team and recalls beating Patchogue for the championship in 1934. The Northport team thinking they were better, challenged the Packard team; they also were soundly dispatched. The bowling league was active in those days as well. Parades and racing tournaments became very popular over the coming decades. During parades it was customary for housewives to rush out and hand a cake to the passing firemen.
At the January, 1930 meeting of Protection Engine there came the first mention of an issue that would occupy all companies of the Southold Fire Department for much of the ensuing decade. It was proposed the Companies give up their individual meeting and truck houses to move into a new unified firehouse. As can be imagined, feelings ran high. By 1934, the consensus of opinion by all the Companies was the glaring need for a centrally located “Fire House”; a harmonious combination of force.
The newest company, Packard Hose then well in to its seventh year would benefit the most from such a move. Packard Hose was always the poor company. Dues in those early years were $1.20 a year. That was 10 cents a month! Chet Jankowski said “if they ever had more than $100.00 in the treasury it was a lot!” in fact, at one point in 1934 the other companies had to pick up the cost of a turkey dinner for Packard Hose as they couldn’t afford it. Packard Hose held their meetings in the Beckwith Avenue Firehouse and kept their old Packard hose cart next to Protection’s Waterous pumper in a near by building. That pumper was fondly referred to by Packard Hose as the Waterless pumper. Packard had to pay a rent of an unknown amount to the building owner, Protection Engine. The monthly meetings were always associated with a “feed” as they are today. The cost of the “feed” was 25 cents per member. Usually a local farmer would donate the potatoes. For Packard Hose those “feeds” consisted of pancakes or chowder. All the cooking and clean up was done by a monthly committee. It is said that Packard Hose had to have two committees. One to clean up after Protection Engine and the other to prepare for Packard’s meeting.
The concern over finding a location developed into a meeting of the three Companies. Suggestions of Belmont Hall were entertained. Ultimately the job to ascertain the best location and procedure fell into the capable hands of Chief Nat Booth. His prompt report mentioned the Federal Government's willingness to share in the $33,000.00 price tag for the construction of the new “Firehouse”. A motion was passed by Hook and Ladder to donate two thirds of the proceeds from the sale of their present Truck House to this venture. By April of 1936, his job completed, Nat Booth refused the nomination for another term as chief. Accepting the nomination, the new Chief Engineer J. Leo Thompson promptly set the wheels in motion, announcing the ground breaking ceremonies would take place for construction of the Southold Fire Department’s new centrally located Firehouse on Saturday evening May 9, 1936. In November, 1936 Protection Engine’s trustees reported to the membership that they had received an offer of $1,500.00 for the old firehouse on Beckwith Avenue and plans were made to sell the property to the Southold Grange. As previously provided for by a vote of the membership, $1,000.00 of this sum was turned over to the new building fund and $500.00 was retained for Company purposes.
A New Era Begins
With the onset of World War II the men of Southold Fire Department were busily engaged in civil defense training as well as their usual firematic duties. First Aid, gas masks and black outs were the order of the day. As the young men were called off to war in lieu of a send off dinner each of them would receive a check of $10.00 from their respective company. Protection Engine saw fit to give the Captain and 1st Lieutenant similar checks on the occasion of their marriages, the opinion being “that since their term of enlistment might be longer and their battles many, they should receive the same as the boys who join the armed forces.”
By 1943, the concern for the home front heightened. The threat of invasion lurked ominously near. Blood drives, bond drives and civil defense shared the many priorities of the beleaguered Fire Department. Slowly a new problem arose, the shortage of man power; more specifically youthful man power. In an attempt to combat this growing problem, the by-laws were quickly amended for the duration of the war to reduce the minimum age requirements to 16. Chief Max Newbold issued an order. “Any fireman driving the Ford to an alarm, your first duty is to stop at the High School to pick up the younger members, then proceed to the fire!” Also in 1943 Protection Engine did their part with regard to the war time food effort by purchasing two pigs which were delivered to Howard Terry who had agreed to house and feed them. Following a report from the “Pig Committee” at the May, 1943 meeting that they “were handsome pigs and doing fine,” little is heard of these creatures until they reappeared at the November, 1943 Company dinner as honored guests. The reaction of the pigs to this singular honor was not recorded.
With the grim reality of war looming over head, Packard Hose Company received word that brother fireman Lou Koroleski was killed in action on Normandy Beach on D-Day plus one. Gilbert Terry, a member of Protection Engine was also lost flying a mission over the English Channel in 1945. On April 12, 1945 the regular meeting of the Protection Engine Company was adjourned in the memory of President Franklin D. Roosevelt who had passed away earlier that day.
Near the end of the war, Chief George L. Gaffga, by special permission from the United States War Department ordered a 1945 Mack Pumper. Upon its delivery and, before its official dedication, “The Mack” as it is still referred to today, was pressed into service on a mutual aid to Greenport to fight the Boat Yard Fire. “The Mack” has recently under gone a restoration and can be seen in most parades.
*Most of this text was taken from the 100th Anniversary Journal*
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