EARLY INDIANA FIRE DEPARTMENTS
by Scott E. Decker
What follows is a brief thumbnail
sketch of the early evolution of the Indiana's organized fire departments drawn from the
files of the Historical & Genealogical Society of Indiana County.
It is important to distinguish
between Indiana's organized fire departments and its other efforts at fire suppression.
The Indiana community's earliest proactive approach to the suppression of fire dates to
1834, when a small fire engine was purchased. Stored in a central location, it seemed to
have belonged to the community as a whole, with no group in particular assigned to its
upkeep or to train with it. Actually, the piece was so unimpressive to the town council
that the manufacturer was forced to sue in order to receive payment.
Accounts of fires from the 1840 s
through the 1860 s appear to indicate that the community as a whole responded to fire
alarms and each person pitched in as best they could to assist in getting water to the
engine and out on the fire. Another fire engine which was purchased in 1867 appears also
to have been a disappointment. The then-existing fire company, apparently less than
satisfactory, had the task of dragging the engine to the scene from its garage at the jail
and likely had responsibility for the actual operation of the engine, with citizens
forming bucket brigades to get water to the engine. A "Captain Earl"appears to
have been in charge of that department, however little is known about it. There is a
surviving reference to that fire department participating on an activity in connection
with the Indiana County Fair and also to Captain Earl demonstrating the operation of one
of the early pieces of fire apparatus to the townspeople.
In the 1870s, the new borough of
West Indiana (the area west of Eight street) was created and in response to the need which
the local pundits had railed about for years, "well organized" fire departments
were formed in each borough. The Fire Association of West Indiana rented their building at
the present intersection of Ninth and Philadelphia Streets form the Pennsylvania Railroad
for a $1.00 per year. The Indiana Fire Association had a two-story building erected for
its use by the Indiana Borough Council, believed to have been one building toward
Philadelphia Street from the Southeast corner of Nixon Avenue and North Sixth Street.
These arrangements were supplemented by one hose house attached to the Daugherty's
Planning Mill in the 1000 block of Philadelphia Street, and another facility at Third and
Philadelphia Street and possibly another one at Seventh and Locust Streets. It is possible
that these latter facilities aside from the main stations did not all coexist at the same
time - details are sketchy.
| These two organizations
coexisted and apparently worked well together, with one account of this era relating that
there was an ongoing competition between the two departments to see who could arrive first
at the fire, whether dragging fire apparatus by hand or by jumping onto a wagon and
pulling it that way. The competitions ended with the 1891 merger of the two boroughs.
The dominant personality in the early organization of the departments was Hannibal K.
Sloan, Chief Marshall of the Indiana Fire Association from 1878 until his death in 1894. A
Civil War veteran, Sloan was a strict disciplinarian who also served as a State
Congressman and Senator for several terms. Another link between Jimmy Stewart and the
Indiana Fire Association, Sloan was a first cousin of Alex Stewart's mother. Sloan
established regular drills and maintenance for the fire equipment, which seems to be what
was lacking in the towns's earlier unsatisfactory approaches to the establishment of a
"well-organized fire department." His passing was mourned by the entire town in
August of 1894. |
|
Civil War Potograph of
Hannibl K. Sloan |
|
Captain, Company
B, 11th Reserve, 40thPennsylvania Infantry. Saw action at The Wilderness,
Spotsylvania, Gettysburgand elsewhere. Indiana Attorney, Served as State
Represenative and later as State Senator. First Chief Marshal, Indiana Fire
Association, serving in that capacity from 1878 until his death in August, 1894 |
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Copyright© 31Dec98 Indiana Fire Association