by Barbara Barker
March 1996
The picture on the Historical Society’s calendar for March shows some volunteer firemen from Four Corners standing proudly beside their trucks outside the Four Corners station, built in 1908 with private funds, and recently renovated. Fire was always a danger, and Hanover, as all small towns and large cities as well, tried to be prepared.Benjamin Franklin is credited with organizing the first fire department in America in Philadelphia, but actually other towns and cities had appointed Firewardens and had primitive pumpers, small wooden carts which carried a hand pumpto alert and protect their communities. All the villages in Hanover had informally organized their menfolk to work together in the event of the common enemy, fire. The alarm was usually a church bell, and this was true in Hanover as St. Andrews, the Congregational Church and the Baptist Church bells notified the residents of fire. A leather fire bucket was a prized possession and hung by the door of most early houses. A bucket brigade would be formed from a near-by brook or well. Some of the men had hand pumps, but we have no record of any early pumper wagons. Bucket brigades were not too effective, and even later chemical extinguishers usually could not contain a blaze. They could only hope to keep a fire from spreading.
By 1896 each village in Hanover had appointed “Firewards”, who would cause the alarm to be rung and direct the firefighting efforts. After a disastrous fire at the Four Corners in 1898 when three men were killed, a committee was appointed at Town Meeting to examine the question of fire protection for the town. However the committee reported at that time that it would be “inexpedient to recommend the purchase of any” (devices for the extringuishment of fire) and recommended the “putting in of a good water service”. (This was not done until 1930 after many studies and efforts).
In 1904 the first Fire Company was formed in North Hanover including Assinippi Village. A horse drawn truck , chemical extinguishers, ladders and other equipment were purchased from the funds ($150) raised by the men of the company and $150 matched by the town. Four Corners was also working to raise funds and built the above fire station and equipped it with a “first class piece of apparatus”. They wrote in their report in 1908, “We believe that this association, as well as that at North Hanover and any other that may hereafter be formed in town, should receive the assistance of the town both morally and financially…” By 1910 companies had formed at West Hanover, Center Hanover and South Hanover. Drinkwater was organized in 1914.
Each fire company became a solid community group. They raised money for the trucks and such from field days, lawn parties, bean suppers, and dances, and the fire house in each village became a gathering place for social events as well. There was great comradarie within each company and competition among the companies.
Charlie Gleason in one of his notebooks wrote, “I joined the fire company about 1910 and continued for 25 years and served as secretary and treasurer for several years. At first the firemen got no pay for the woods or house fires. Finally the town voted the sum of 50 cents an hour. Getting up in the middle of the night in zero weather and fighting house fires was no fun, but it had to be done.”
Mr. Gleason composed the following clever poem about Four Corners fire volunteer, Robert Irving Sylvester who is referred to as “R.I.” who is also pictured here. (not with his fire gear).
“R.I. and His Faithful Pump” by Charles Gleason
Full many a fire of long ago
Has kept us on the active jump
And many a house its life does owe
To Irving and his faithful pump.
When the church bells, they did ring
Or siren whistle blow
Even tho it was 1 or 2 A.M.
R.I. was up and on the go.
It made no dif what was the glass
Zero or a little higher
All others on the street did pass
And had his stream upon the fire.
Oh faithful pump and handy pail
We can’t consign thee to the dump,
For you have travelled o’er hill and dale
R. Irving and his faithful pump.
R.I. is still and active man
As he dons his checkered jumper.
No more he takes his faithful can
“Because we have a Pumper”.
The companies put together their own fire wagons, and later bought chemical wagons. They were drawn by one or two horses furnished by a mill or livery stable in that village. By 1924, horses were out, and some of the companies had mounted their chemical tanks on old Model T. Fords, Buicks, locomobiles and whatever they had money enough to buy and could adapt. The monies to purchase the trucks came mostly from fundraisers organized by the company and their women’s auxillaries.
It wasn’t until 1965 that the first full time Fire Chief was appointed. Lawrence E. Slaney held that position that had previously been part time and held by William Gardner from 1928-1941, Louis Stone 1941-1952, and T. Drew Bates 1952-1965. When Mr. Slaney retired in l975, he was followed by Wendell “Bud” Blanchard and Stephen Tucker, present chief.
Mr. Slaney wrote a fine history of the Hanover Fire Department that can be found in the up-dated “History of Hanover 1910-1977″, and much of the above information has been gleaned from his research presented there.