Existing comment:
Fairmount Fire Company volunteer firefighting outfit
early 1800s
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
As American cities grew and industrialized in the late 1700s and 1800s, the risk of deadly fires increased. Volunteer fire departments formed in response, often developing distinctive cultures based on common ethnic heritage, and emphasizing bravery, masculinity, and citizenship. By the 1860s, cities began to develop professional departments and the volunteers' status as popular heroes was on the wane. |