The Stoughton Fire Department was organized in the year 1852.
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Pacific No 1: 1852 Hand Tub
This year saw the purchase of two 1852 Howard and Davis hand tubs of the Hunneman type. Pacific No. 1 had thirty-five members while Atlantic No. 2 had forty-four members. All members were paid the sum of two dollars per year. Originally these companies were kept in barns near the center of town until the first engine house was built in the year 1854-1855. This engine house was built where Porter Street east meets Washington Street. The year 1857 shows the addition of another company known as Baystate No. 3. This company operated an 1857 Howard and Davis hand tub of the Hunneman type with a company of thirty-seven members. Baystate No. 3 was placed in North Stoughton and this now gave the department three companies with one hundred and fourteen men. |
Washington Hook and Ladder Co, 1860
1860 the Washington Hook and Ladder Company was organized with 10 members. Calvin Howland would be the first captain of this company. The department now had a total of one hundred and thirty-nine members all paid the large sum of two dollars per year.
In 1862 James Mears would become the departments first chief when the first Board of Fire Engineers was formed to supervise all of Stoughton's companies. The year 1870 shows the department growing once again with the addition of the Ocean Hose Company. The department would be at its highest manning with a total of one hundred and seventy members. |
1880 Silsby Steamer
The Town of Stoughton would make major strides in the year 1880 with the purchase of two modern steam engines. These two engines were 1880 models of the Silsby Steam Engine. One of these companies would be placed in the Stoughton Center station while the other placed in East Stoughton, which today is known as the Town of Avon. At this time the steamer replaced both hand tubs at the center station and the department would have four fire stations. One station was in Stoughton center, one was located in East Stoughton, another was located in North Stoughton and the fourth was located in West Stoughton. The department manning would be down to approximately fifty members. |
Horse-Drawn Ladder Co
The last horse drawn ladder truck was bought in the year 1896 from the Combination Ladder Company of Providence Rhode Island. Due to the fact that no horses were provided for this truck it was not used until sometime around 1900 and was dubbed the "White Angel". |
1912 Pope-Hartford
It wasn't until 1912 that the department would acquire its first piece of motorized equipment. A committee raised funds to purchase a 1912 Pope-Hartford Chemical engine for the sum of five thousand seven hundred and fifty dollars. The year 1923 shows the department becoming a motorized department with the addition of a 1923 Maxim City Service ladder truck. |
Station 1, June 1927
The next major step the department would take would come in 1927 when they moved out of the old fire station, which was located under the Town Hall and into their new station on Freeman Street. When the department moved into its new station the department had a total of five full-time paid members. North Stoughton Hose Co. 2 and West Stoughton Hose Co. 4 still operated with its members being paid a yearly sum. |
Here are members from March 14, 1957: (L to R Chief F. Pye,Lt. A. Corbett, W. Billings, L. Roche, J. Kelly and J. Haron)
In 1933 there was a major reorganization of the department and a call force was organized to supplement the full-time members. The North and West Companies would run no longer and all apparatus and members would respond from the Freeman Street station. The department would continue to progress throughout the forties and fifties with newer fire apparatus and more full-time manning. The year 1955 shows the department responding to a total of three hundred and eighty runs with ten full-time men. In 1965 the members of the department would switch from a fifty-six hour workweek to a forty-eight hour workweek. In doing so the department went from a three-group system to the present day four-group system with a full-time strength of twenty men. |
