The Makers of the Mold

by

Kenneth W. Newcomb

12. Fire and Police Departments

• The Days Before the First "Fireward"
• The First Fireward
• Engine Society No. 2
• Other Engines
• Fires and Firewards
• The End of the "Old Hand Engine Companies"
• Police

Fire Department

The Days Before the First "Fireward"

Perhaps the most feared disasters in the early days of our villages were those caused by fire. After a particularly bad fire had occurred in Boston in March, 1631, official action was taken by other villages and laws were established to help prevent similar catastrophes. One such law was established at a Cambridge town meeting held October 3, 1636 when it was ordered:

It should be noted that carrying fire (coals) from one house to another was necessary in those days when the fire on the hearth went out.

Before the day of the manual fire engines, almost every dwelling house possessed two leather fire buckets with the owner's name and number painted on them, which were kept in a conspicuous place near the door ready for immediate use. Neighbors would rush to fight a fire, and two lines of bucket passers would form from the nearest water supply to the fire, one line passing full buckets and the other passing back the empties. After the fire, the buckets were placed together and each person picked out his own. A bed-key to take bolts from the old-fashioned rope bedsteads and clothes bags to carry clothing from burning buildings were also "first aids" in fire salvage work. One of the earliest uses of the bucket brigade in Upper Falls must have been at this fire, among the earliest recorded: "1729. March 18, William Clark's house, Upper Falls". William Clark was the son of the original sawmill owner, John Clark.

The First "Fireward"

Because it was a sparsely settled farming community in the early days, Newton as a town did not take any action for the prevention or fighting of fires until l818 when it appointed Solomon Curtis as fireward at Lower Falls. Newton's first fire apparatus was located in that village. Residents on both sides of the river, in Newton and Needham (now Wellesley), purchased it some time prior to 1812. This pioneer fire department was approved by an act of the Legislature that authorized both towns to nominate and appoint ten men each to take charge of the apparatus, provided these men did not reside more than a half mile from where the equipment was housed.

Mr. Easterbrook, in his history of the Newton Fire Department, records that at least one of our Upper Falls residents was involved in the development of this first fire department. He was General Simon Elliot who had inherited his father's snuff mills and other properties at Upper Falls. From the following account we find that General Elliot also had business interests in Lower Falls and had purchased shares to cover the cost of the new fire engine in that village:

Engine Society No. 2

The second company was organized at Newton Upper Falls November 8, 1820 and was known as the Newton Engine Society No. 2. Its engine was owned by the Rufus Ellis Iron Works, located at the Boylston Street bridge, and was best known as the Ellis engine. In 1824 the iron works, then known as the Newton Factories, purchased of Hunneman & Company of Roxbury, Massachusetts another and better engine with a suction hose. This was the first and, until 1842, the only suction engine in town.

The first record of a meeting by this organization (also known as Washington Engine No. 2) was one held at Wiswall's Tavern on November 8, 1820. On May 2, 1821 the society completed its organization as follows:

This list includes the names of Needham men. From ten to twenty were appointed and paid for by that town for the Upper and Lower Falls companies until 1881 when Wellesley became independent. Usually the men from Needham were selected by the company, subject to the approval of the selectmen. The reason for the combined companies, of course, was the inability of the Needham companies to reach a fire quickly in the Newton Upper Falls section of Needham (across the river from this village) and similarly to the Newton Lower Falls section of Needham (opposite that village). Even today these two sections, now known as East Needham and Wellesley Lower Falls, receive mutual aid fire protection from the Newton companies.

It is interesting to note that when the combined company of Upper Falls and Needham Upper Falls (now East Needham) men was dropped in 1881, the Needham section people were concerned about their fire protection since they were so far away from the Needham fire stations and therefore they organized their own company. This was indicated by a news item appearing in the Newton Journal of May 30, 1885 stating that a company called the Niagara Engine No. 1 had been organized at Needham Upper Falls with 30 members. The officers were; H. H. Easterbrook, M.F. McDonald, George A. Billings, E.F. Gay and T.J. Daley. (The writer, who lived in that area when a boy, can recall the old hose wagon which was kept in a barn behind McDonald's store on Reservoir Street. When a local fire occurred it was always necessary to look for Pete Proctor and his horses in whatever field he might have been plowing at the time and get him down to the fire barn to haul the wagon). The constitution of the Upper Falls Newton Engine Society No. 2 Company is so interesting and amusing that it is included here in its entirety. The meaning of the word "Catoos," which represented a position held by some of the men on the above list and is included in the constitution, is not clear:

This society, like most of the early fire companies, was a convivial body and its meetings were festive occasions, as its constitution indicates. It was an independent organization and paid its own expenses. In 1824 it provided a pair of shafts and harness for a horse to draw the engine to and from fires for which it paid seventeen cents per mile for a single horse and for two horses twelve and a half cents each per mile.

Money was really "funny" in those days. Mr. Easterbrook relates that at the annual meeting in May, 1826 the society found itself the possessor of a five dollar bill of the Eagle Bank of New Haven. They authorized it be exchanged for other money on the best terms possible. After six months of fruitless efforts to exchange it, it was sold at auction to a member for fifty cents.

The engine, a picture of which appears in Easterbrook's history, was kept in a small building just large enough to admit it, located on the south side of Boylston Street between Chestnut and Ellis streets. The old building (built in 1823) was sold in 1855 for $13.50 and was moved to 49 Rockland Place. As late as 1924 it was still in about the same condition as when abandoned as a fire station nearly 75 years before. Perhaps some of our readers may remember when it succumbed to time. When three new, and supposedly more powerful, engines were purchased by the town in 1835 they were given a public exhibition test at the Boylston Street bridge in Upper Falls. The old Ellis or No. 2 engine of 1820 vintage competed with them and a resident of Upper Falls was later heard to comment regarding the test:

These engines were virtually nothing more than tubs on wheels which were drawn to a fire by men hauling them on drag-ropes. Equipment was limited, there being no cotton hose available until about the 1860s. Early firemen had to rely on leather hose which was difficult to handle, particularly in cold weather. In the winter season they would have to be greased after each use in order to maintain some degree of flexibility. The first engine tubs were filled by bucket-brigade and later by suction hose laid to brooks or other sources of water. The long pump handles on each side of the engine (for some reason called brakes) were pumped manually up and down, operating in turn an ordinary piston pump which forced the water through a nozzle directed at the fire.

Musters, which were usually firemen's picnics or field days, featured engines from surrounding towns competing not only to produce the longest stream but also to sustain it for a record time. Later, in some contests, suction hand engines were connected "tub-and-tub," the first engine drawing from a brook or stream and then pumping the water through a hose to the next engine, through that to succeeding engines and finally through the last one and onto the ground A tub which overflowed would disqualify that particular engine. A firemen's collation of crackers, cheese and coffee was usually served after the early musters but it is said that at later ones the liquid refreshments were often a bit stronger.

Other Engines

A new Hunneman engine was purchased by the town in 1842 for Newton Upper Falls, but instead of taking the name and number of the engine it was to succeed (Washington No. 2), as was the custom at that time, it was numbered 4 and named "Upper Falls." Also, an entire new company was organized to operate it. They adopted a very resolute motto for themselves; "Veni, Vedi, Vici" which means "I came, I saw, I conquered " This new Upper Falls No. 4 went into service July 2, 1842 in a new station on High Street, now a dwelling-house at 54 High.

This company, similar to all previous fire companies of the village, always had a full complement of men with a large number on the waiting list. It is said that:

No reason was found as to why the previous company was disbanded in 1842 with arrival of the new engine. A volunteer company of young men, not old enough to become members of the new No. 4 company, was organized and for a number of years did considerable service with the old engine in this and other villages. One commendable job performed by this group is noted in a news item appearing later in this chapter.

However, at its last fire, a barn on the Ellis estate at the corner of Chestnut and Boylston Streets on July 17, 1854, these young volunteers displeased the local engineer and he had the engine taken to the stone building near the stone barn, where it remained until sold to Otis Pettee & Co. in 1856 for $17.50. It was later demolished and the wheels saw service for many years on a vehicle used about the premises. Perhaps the boys who formerly handled the old engine agreed with this lament which in later years appeared in a local news item:

Another early hand fire engine, used by the second company in the town, was owned by the Elliot Manufacturing Company of Upper Falls which purchased it for the protection of their property on Elliot Street. On March 9, 1824 the selectmen appointed a company to operate it. It was officially known as Engine Company No. 4 but was generally called the Elliot engine, and was located in a court off Elliot Street nearly opposite the old silk mill gates, since demolished .

In 1856 the name of the engine housed on High Street was changed from "Upper Falls" to "Mechanic" as the name represented the occupation of most of the members of the company at that time.

On February 1, l878 Hose Company No. 7 went into service and took possession of the hose-cart and house on High Street.

Hose No 7 Clockwise from Upper Left: J.E. Trowbridge, Foreman J.W.C. Easterbrook, Assistant Foreman. J.T. Thomason E.L. Richards, Driver Stephen Morgan Joseph Teperley

In 1879 the old engine was taken by a New York concern in part payment for hook-and-ladder truck No. 1 (later renumbered No. 2) and was eventually sold to Lake Charles, Louisiana where it returned to active service.

The End of the "Old Hand Engine Companies" 

The days of the old hand engine companies were coming to a close. The old companies had a colorful history and the members enjoyed their association with them through their musters, picnics and other functions. One of these latter events is recorded as being held on June 17, 1877 in "Richardson's grove, on the banks of the Charles, just above the pumping-station" - which must be the grove later known as Coldspring Grove. The program for the day listed sports, music, a fish chowder and after-dinner speeches together with other activities.

As previously indicated, Hose Company No. 7 succeeded Mechanic No. 4 hand engine company and was organized on January 25, 1878. It occupied the old house on High Street until January 27, 1879 when it moved to its new building on Pettee Street. It used a horse pung at first but changed to a hose-carriage at a later date

Hose Company #7

. Its first horse was called "Old Harvey" and it is described by our historian as being "one of the wonders of the department". The writer goes on to say:

However, as we acknowledge the frailties of life, even among horses, we are saddened to record the following news from an item dated October 8, 1881:

Hose Company No. 7 was the first company in Newton to receive a hose-wagon (January 31, 1893) built by the Abbott-Downing Company of Concord, New Hampshire.

Fires and Firewards

The records of early fires in the village covered by the various engine companies are interesting. Those included here mainly refer to early business enterprises and residents:

The most famous fire, that of the Pettee Works on November 25, 1839, is recorded in the section covering our early industries

The above fire record notes many costly fires in the early shops and factories of the village. Newton became very concerned about this destruction of valuable industrial property with the consequent loss of taxes and employment. This resulted in the election of firewards, or local chiefs, to have charge of fire protection for the town. Many of the fires in those early days were evidently thought to be the work of arsonists as indicated by a vote that was passed in 1824 offering a reward of $300 to any person aiding the town to detect and convict any one accused of incendiarism.

Historians record that on March 7, 1825 four firewards were chosen for each of the engines; No. 1, Lower Falls; No. 2, Newton Centre and Upper Falls; No. 3, West Newton and Elliot Factory Engine, Upper Falls. Prior to this time (in 1823) it was decided by vote "that it be left to the discretion of the Selectmen to build Engine-houses when and where they deem them necessary. Provided, that the proprietors of the Engine or Engines will provide land at their own expense to build said houses upon." However, in 1835 the town voted to expend one thousand dollars to put the fire engines in good repair to purchase new ones together with hose.

It would appear from the foregoing that the first firewards in the town were appointed in 1825, but Mr. Easterbrook's record indicates otherwise. As previously mentioned, Mr. Solomon Curtis of Lower Falls was the first one, having been appointed in 1818. The record shows a considerable number of men from several villages serving in the capacity of fireward from the year l818 to 1825.

In March, 1826 it was voted "that in the future the several firewards in the town provide refreshments for the engine men and others, who may come from neighboring towns to aid in extinguishing fires, and present bills of the same to the Selectmen for allowance." Appropriations for fire protection, however, were hard to come by in those early days, although in 1842 the town did appropriate $600 for fire purposes to each of the villages of Newton Upper Falls, West Newton, Newton Centre and Newton Corner, provided that each of these villages should add $200 more. This action was the result of the disastrous fire that destroyed the Pettee Works at Upper Falls in 1839.

The fire department of Newton was not completely organized until 1843 when the residents of Newton Upper Falls sent the following petition to the state legislature which was enacted into law:

It was signed by the following:

However, the complete expense of the entire department of the town of Newton in 1807 was only just over a thousand dollars. Engine No. 4 of Newton Upper Falls received $106.20 of this amount. Included in the newly organized department were twelve engineers.

Of course, it was not until the gasoline engine came into use that the department became really effective. Bakery cart, milk wagon and farm horses were sometimes pressed into service to pull the engines in those early days and, as late as 1882 Hose No. 7 was having trouble with its horses as indicated by this local news item of May 20, 1882:

Rivalries were intense between the villages and towns, and many a fist fight broke out at the musters. At one time the West Newton engine house burned down while the members of the company were at a circus in Waltham although the townspeople saved the engine.

Another incident where our local boys got "carried away" is recalled in this news item that appeared in the Newton Journal on May 28, 1870:

In 1867 the fire department of Newton had six hand engines, well furnished with apparatus and in good working order. The first steam fire engine was placed at Newton Corner in the autumn of 1868.

In 1879 the valuation of the fire engine house, engine, land and miscellaneous items at Upper Falls was $2,000. The total valuation of all the equipment in the city was $141,000 a sharp contrast with the valuation in 1847 of about $1,000. In 1955 a new fire station combining the Upper Falls and Newton Highlands departments was built on Elliot Street opposite Circuit Avenue, and Upper Falls Engine 7, after a temporary move to Newton Highlands for a period 1950 to 1955 was moved to this new location. The old engine house on Pettee Street was razed to make way for an enlarged Emerson School playground

We conclude this history of our local fire companies with some graphic newspaper accounts of a few major fires in the village. Of dramatic value as well as important historical content is this newspaper account taken from the Newton Journal of August 3, 1883. It covers the fortieth anniversary celebration of Mr. and Mrs. Horace Bacon whose home was on the crest of the Boylston Street hill. It follows in part:

The fire described above also destroyed the residence of Dr. Spaulding, which stood where the late Myra Mills resided. The house now occupied by Mr. de Rosier was then occupied as a tavern kept by one Capt. Harding, which building was saved from being also burnt by the young boys who then worked the abandoned engine, formerly used here; and for this successful effort Capt. Harding presented them with a bell, which is now in possession of Hose Company 7."

Research indicates that Dr. Spaulding's house stood where the house at 975 Chestnut Street now stands and that Captain Harding's Tavern was located at 981 Chestnut

An industrial fire that caused extensive damage occurred at the Wardwell & Clark Paper Mill located on both sides of Boylston Street at the foot of the hill. This happened in November, 1884 and portions of a newspaper account of the fire follows:

The records show that after the building was rebuilt, Wardwell & Clark continued business for only two more years before selling their interests to the Superior Wax Paper Company. This company never went into business, however, and subsequent owners were E.J. Hickey Paper Company and Rice Kendall Company. It is believed that the property was acquired by the Metropolitan Park (District) Commission mission which razed the building sometime in the early 1900s. (See "Industry")

Among the numerous fires that have destroyed industries in Upper Falls with huge losses to the owners was one that threatened to wipe out; the whole village. It is recorded in detail in a four column news story in the Boston Globe on Friday, November 15, 1907.

The headline and story follow:

*Footnote: This information is incorrect. Our atlas of 1907 shows only one the building on this site and the owner is shown as the International Auto Vehicle Tire Co., successor to the Newton Rubber Company which had constructed the building in 1888. Actually, this was the newest building of the industrial buildings in the area and was, in fact, the only building remaining of the old manufacturing complex prior to the fire described above. By this date, the MDC acquired most of the land in the area.

As an addendum to this section of the Upper Falls fire department record, for genealogical purposes we are including the names of those who served in the old companies. As previously stated, a certain number of these men were required to be residents of Needham and are included in these lists. However, in compliance with the rule that all members must live within a half mile of the fire station we can presume that most of these Needham men resided in the Newton Upper Falls section just across the river from the village.

The names of those who served with the first organized company, Newton Engine Society #2 or Washington Engine #2 (organized May 2, 1821) have been given earlier. Following are those who served in this Newton Factories company from 1821 to 1841:

Another company owned and organized March 9, 1824 by the Elliot Mfg. Co., was known as Engine Company No. 4 or the Elliot Engine. Although operated for but a short time the names of the men who manned the engine are given here:

The following served in the new company organized July 2, 1842. It was called the Upper Falls No.4 Engine Company, later changed in 1856 to Mechanic #4 Engine Company. It was located in a new station erected for it on High Street; (now a dwelling house) . This list covers a period from 1842 to 1879:

The following, in addition with others listed above, were members of Hose #7 Company, organized January 25, 1878 and housed in a new station on Pettee Street, since demolished

POLICE

Containing a very small population in 1688 when New Cambridge (Newton) officially became a town, it was financially impossible for the new town to supply any fire or police protection for its six villages. Fire protection was provided by fire bucket brigades organized in each village. The first village to acquire any fire fighting equipment was Newton Lower Falls when the residents purchased a fire engine in 1812. The growth of the early fire companies in Newton was well documented in 1897 by H. H. Easterbrook in his HISTORY OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT OF NEWTON, MASS.

Unfortunately no similar publication has been written by any historian regarding the organization and growth of the Newton Police department. In the first Newton Town directory, appearing in 1869, under Newton's town officers is the heading NIGHT POLICE which lists but one name, that of John M. Fisk. He was located in an office in Hyde's Block at Newton Corner and he was paid a salary of $75 per month. Under CONSTABLES the names of seven men are listed, including our Newton Upper Falls constable, Hosea C. Hoyt. Also listed are the names of three men serving as Truant Officers. The title, "Police" is not listed in the index of S.F. Smith's HISTORY OF NEWTON, published in 1880. However, he does describe the duties of our early constables and his description of them is humorous enough to be worth noting:

Included in the list of city offices when Newton was organized as a city in 1874 were only 10 men listed as police officers, two each assigned to Wards 1,2,3 and 4 with two each to Wards 5 and 6.

Henry K. Rove in his book TERCENTENARY HISTORY OF NEWTON records this undated account regarding police duties;

The word "jail" does not appear in the index of either Smith's or Rowe's histories so it is not known when one was established in Newton. Under the word "lock-up" we do find this item in S.F. Smith's book;

The only other form of incarceration we noted was the village stocks, strangely enough located on the meeting house lawn. Perhaps not so strange however, when we recall the early church was also the town hall. This is the way historian S. Smith viewed it;

Smith then quotes from some other source how the stocks were constructed:

Smith concludes with one more word regarding stocks:

Leaving us wondering what crime a "stroller" might have committed. There is one definition of the word that indicates a stroller could be called a tramp.

In 1881 Edwin C. Hurd replaced Hosea C. Hoyt as the village police officer in Upper Falls who, in turn, was later replaced by John Purcell who was the grandfather of the late Chief of Police, Philip Purcell. In 1882 Ambrose M. Fuller was a special officer here and in June, 1893 was made a day officer. Milo Crowley may be remembered as a special police officer at the old movie house in the Wade School in the 1920s, wearing the old English "Bobby" helmet.

Now on the lighter side we report that the hazards of duty for our one-time village officer Purcell may be found in this news item that appeared September 19, 1885:

Another little matter of a more modern nature is contained in this news item of September 9, 1882:

Not only because of the humor in the piece but also as an example of the leeway given the local correspondent in reporting, we add the following which was written in August 1883:

And finally, without comment, we add the following from a news item appearing on January 23, 1883:

* Fire department...Ed

Copyright 1997, 1998 Kenneth W. Newcomb and The Friends of Hemlock Gorge. All rights reserved. This page last modified October 10, 1998.

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