Existing comment:
Life of a Fire Engine:
Washington Fire Company volunteers in Wilmington, Delaware, purchased this fire engine soon after they organized in 1840. Built by the firm of Betts, Harlan & Hollingsworth, it was one of the most powerful engine designs of the period, popular in Philadelphia and other large cities.
Wilmington grew rapidly in the 1860s, and taller buildings and expanding industry challenged city fire fighters. When Washington Fire Company bought a more powerful steam apparatus, it sold this engine to the Fenwick Fire Company in the smaller community of Salem, New Jersey.
Philadelphia established a paid fire department in 1871. In the early 1880s, veteran volunteer fire fighters there acquired Wilmington's old engine. Lovingly refurbished, this historic fire engine became a parade piece representing the venerable Hand-in-Hand Fire Company. |