Pelham Once Had a "Fountain of Youth" That Was Believed to Cure Illnesses Including Polio

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During the 19th century and the first two decades of the 20th century, Pelham had a fabled "Fountain of Youth" believed to have miraculous powers to cure all ailments.  News accounts noted that "thousands" journeyed "by auto and on foot to drink the waters."  Pelhamites collected bottles of the magical water to maintain youthfulness and to cure all ailments and diseases.  

Where was this magical fountain of youth?  

The elixir of youth bubbled from a spring beneath the fabled Split Rock that stood adjacent to Split Rock Road.  For many years, the crystal clear and cool water seemingly bubbled from sands at the bottom of the giant cleft that gave Split Rock is name -- and fame -- as Pelham's best-known landmark.

According to one account:

"If Willie cut his finger, it would soon heal it washed with water from Split Rock spring; if Mary got a bad cold, or some member of the family was stricken with some disease, Split Rock spring water was used in the sickroom.  In the infantile paralysis epidemic it was believed that the water would cure the illness.  Much of the water was used at that time."

So many people traveled to Split Rock to drink its fabled waters and collect some to take home that during the teens, well after the area had become part of Pelham Bay Park annexed by New York City, the City Parks Department "placed a pipe through one of the rocks" so that the water would flow "in such a way that it is easy to fill a glass or bottle."

The cool spring waters nourished and refreshed the entire area surrounding Split Rock.  One "product of the spring" during summer months was a luxuriant carpet of water cress.  Pelham Manor residents often enjoyed walks in the cool of the evening to Split Rock where they collected water cress and drank what they believed were healthful waters of Pelham's Fountain of Youth.

The waters, however, turned out to be not so healthful.  With so many Pelham Manor residents drinking from the fabled fountain, in 1922 the Pelham Manor Board of Trustees asked the Village Health Officer, Dr. Augustine C. McGuire, to look into whether the waters of the Fountain of Youth were safe to drink.

McGuire collected water and submitted it for laboratory analysis.  When the results came back, he was shocked.  The water was profoundly contaminated with bacteria and was absolutely unfit for human consumption.  He promptly issued the following announcement:

"'The residents of Pelham Manor should be warned against drinking any of the water from the Split Rock Spring.  It is contaminated.  Many Manor residents are in the habit of drinking the water, because it is noted to be the coolest in the district, it also is supposed to have medicinal properties, but at present the water is not in fit condition for drinking.  Boy scouts have in the past, on hikes, gone to the spring for water.  I have notified Commissioner of Health Royal S. Copeland, of New York City.  Within which territory the spring is, of the condition and facts.  It is hoped that action will be taken to purify the water of the spring."

Dr. McGuire notified the New York City Health Officer, Dr. Royal B. Copeland, of the findings.  Dr. Copeland promptly "promised to see that the spring is closed to the public."

Clearly, however, the spring was not closed permanently.  Indeed, for years thereafter Pelham Manor residents were still able to drink and collect waters from their beloved Fountain of Youth at Split Rock.  One report, for example, indicates that five years later in late August, 1927, "Pelham Manor residents who favor a drink of the cool water which flows from the spring near the Split Rock in Pelham Bay were disappointed Saturday to find that the spring had been blocked off.  The New York City Park department men cleaned the spring trough on Wednesday and the clear water is again flowing."

Detail from Undated Post Card Showing Split Rock in

About 1915.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

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"'Fountain of Youth' Will Be Analyzed
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Split Rock Spring, Guaranteed By Many to Cure All Known and Unknown Diseases
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Pelham Manor's 'fountain of youth' is to be analyzed.  The Split Rock spring, for many years the standby of the older settlers in case of illness or ailment, is to be tested by Health Officer McGuire.  Some of the older residents of the Manor guarantee the spring to cure all diseases or ailments.  If Willie cut his finger, it would soon heal it washed with water from Split Rock spring; if Mary got a bad cold, or some member of the family was stricken with some disease, Split Rock spring water was used in the sickroom.  In the infantile paralysis epidemic it was believed that the water would cure the illness.  Much of the water was used at that time.

Even to this day the spring is a favorite with many.  It is located at the Split Rock, on Split Rock Road, about a quarter mile south of the Pelham Summer Home.  The water used to seep through the sand in the split in the rocks, but a few years ago the Department of Parks of the City of New York placed a pipe through one of the rocks, and now the water flows in such a way that it is easy to fill a glass or bottle.  Even now, daily, a steady stream of motorists fill large bottles with the water.  Water cress is another product of the spring.  In summer the spring is covered with the greens and many Manor residents enjoy a walk in the cool of the evening for water and water cress."

Source:  "Fountain of Youth" Will Be Analyzed -- Split Rock Spring, Guaranteed By Many to Cure All Known and Unknown Diseases, The Pelham Sun, Apr. 28, 1922, p. 7, col. 2.  

"Water At Split Rock Spring Unfit To Drink
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Health Officer Finds That 'Fountain of Youth' In Pelham Manor Is Contaminated

The 'Fountain of Youth' is not.  Moreover, the water is contaminated and unfit for drinking purposes.  This is the decree of Health Officer McGuire of Pelham Manor, in regards to Split Rock Spring, long famed as a remedy for all ailments and diseases.  The village board ordered the water tested and the reply was unfavorable.

Dr. McGuire said, 'The residents of Pelham Manor should be warned against drinking any of the water from the Split Rock Spring.  It is contaminated.  Many Manor residents are in the habit of drinking the water, because it is noted to be the coolest in the district, it also is supposed to have medicinal properties, but at present the water is not in fit condition for drinking.  Boy scouts have in the past, on hikes, gone to the spring for water.  I have notified Commissioner of Health Royal S. Copeland, of New York City.  Within which territory the spring is, of the condition and facts.  It is hoped that action will be taken to purify the water of the spring."

Source:  Water At Split Rock Spring Unfit To Drink -- Health Officer Finds That 'Fountain of Youth' In Pelham Manor Is Contaminated, The Pelham Sun, May 5, 1922, p. 5, col. 4.  

"Water Condemned.

The thousands who have journeyed by auto and on foot to drink the waters from the spring on Split Rock road, known as the Split Rock spring, and take a bottle or more away to drink, will be disappointed to hear that the waters are condemned as polluted.  Dr. McGuire, the health officer, was asked by the village board to have the waters analyzed to ascertain the truth of the claim that the water had certain medicinal properties.  Dr. McGuire did so and reports the water polluted.  He has gone still further and notified the health department of the Bronx and asked that action be taken to prevent its use for drinking purposes.  It was near this spring that Anne Hutchinson was murdered by the Indians."

Source:  Water Condemned, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], May 9, 1922, p. 10, col. 3.  

"Medical Officer of Health McGuire has received a reply from Dr. Royal B. Copeland health officer of New York City, to the notification sent last week regarding the Split Rock Spring, which on investigation by Dr. McGuire, was found to contain poisonous bacilli.

The spring is located in New York territory, but many Pelham Manor residents have been drinking water from the spring in the belief that it had peculiar medicinal properties.

Dr. Copeland will take steps to prevent any further use of the Split Rock Spring."

Source:  [Untitled - Headline Cut Off], The Pelham Sun, May 12, 1922, Vol. 13, No. 11, p. 10, col. 2.  

"Will Close Spring.

Dr. Royal B. Copeland of the New York Department of Health has acknowledged receipt of the complaint sent by health officer Augustine C. McGuire of this village to the effect that the waters of the Split Rock spring are contaminated and has promised to see that the spring is closed to the public."

Source:  Will Close Spring, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], May 15, 1922, p. 8, col. 4.  

"Split Rock Spring Blocked Off For Cleaning
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Pelham Manor residents who favor a drink of the cool water which flows from the spring near the Split Rock in Pelham Bay were disappointed Saturday to find that the spring had been blocked off.  The New York City Park department men cleaned the spring trough on Wednesday and the clear water is again flowing."

Source:  Split Rock Spring Blocked Off For Cleaning, The Pelham Sun, Sep. 2, 1927, p. 14, col. 2.  

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A Little of the Early History of Hose Company No. 2, the Pelham Heights Volunteer Fire Fighting Unit

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Little study seems to have been made of the history of firefighting in Pelham Heights.  Today's Historic Pelham article attempts to shed some light on the early history of the development of organized firefighting in Pelham Heights.

Incorporated as the "Village of Pelham" in 1896, Pelham Heights had no organized firefighting unit of its own until about 1912.  It relied, instead, on the firefighters of the First Fire District of Pelham whose headquarters stood in the adjacent Village of North Pelham.  

In 1912, or perhaps shortly before, Pelham Heights residents formed an auxiliary company of volunteer firefighters associated with the First Fire District of Pelham.  The company was named Hose Company No. 2 of Pelham.  (Although some accounts indicate the company was formed in 1913, the company existed at the time of, and its members participated in, the 1912 Firemen's Inspection held on September 25, 1912.)  Dr. Augustine C. McGuire, a Cliff Avenue resident, was an important organizer of Hose Company No. 2.

As an "auxiliary company," Hose Company No. 2 of Pelham was limited to a total membership of twenty two volunteers.  At the time of its formation, the company secured a hand-drawn hose cart, its principal piece of equipment for the next few years.  The company's first "fire house" was a tiny shed located near the site of today's Colonial Elementary School on Highbrook Avenue.  The Hose Company stored its hand-drawn hose cart and other firefighting equipment in that tiny shed. 

Hand-Drawn Hose Cart of the Type Acquired by

Hose Company No. 2 of Pelham in About 1912.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

In its early years as an auxiliary company, Hose Company No. 2 of Pelham answered all fire alarms in Pelham Heights.  It answered second alarms in North Pelham.  

Within a short time of arranging the Company's first "firehouse," members of the Company realized they had made a mistake.  In order to reach much of Pelham Heights with the hand-drawn hose cart, they had to pull the cart uphill on Highbrook Avenue.  Within six months, after mass exhaustion from dragging the cart uphill during drills and otherwise, Hose Company No. 2 moved the firehouse to a tiny shed that stood near the intersection of Monterey Avenue and East 2nd Street.  From there, according to one account, "they could have the benefit of gravity."

Within a few short years, through hard work and training, the volunteer members of Hose Company No. 2 had become so experienced and professional that a decision was made to upgrade their firefighting equipment.  In 1917, Hose Company No. 2 took possession of its first fire truck.  A description of the apparatus appeared in a local newspaper.  It stated:

"the machine is equipped with a 35-gallon chemical tank and auxiliary by which a hose can be attached to a hydrant and the water forced into the tank and then through the chemical hose.  The auto carries a thousand feet of Chemical hose and a thousand feet of regulation hose, also one extension ladder, axes and hand extinguishers.  The auto is a bright, fire-red color with gold letters on the side of the body reading, 'Pelham Fire Department, First District.'"  

Upon taking possession of the new fire truck, the Company was faced with a problem.  The property on which stood the shed that housed its equipment contained a deed restriction that did not permit a garage of any sort.  Thus, the fire truck could not be stored in the shed.  The Company was forced to move its fire house for the third time in five years, although research has not yet revealed the location to which the fire house was moved.

From its first formation, Hose Company No. 2 of Pelham had two handicaps.  First, it was a small auxiliary company limited to only twenty members.  Second, it covered a very affluent section of the Town of Pelham where most of the male residents worked in New York City during the day, returning only in the evening.  Thus, the Company was capable of fighting fires during evenings and nights.  Pelham Heights, however, had to rely principally on firefighters from the adjacent Village of North Pelham for daytime fires.

As one might expect, because of the comparative affluence of Pelham Heights, the ranks of Hose Company No. 2 were filled with "Doctors, Lawyers, Merchants, [and] Millionaires" as one newspaper noted.  Among its many, many notable members were such luminaries as:  (1) Roy Howard, chairman of the board of directors of the Scripps-Howard newspapers; (2) multi-millionaire Albert C. Field, one-time president of the Produce Exchange; (3) Arthur Koppel, a member of the firm of Shroder and Koppel, builders of the Sherry-Netherlands and of "other skyscrapers"; and (4) notable physician Walter Brundage, among many others.

By mid-1922, members of Hose Company No. 2 of Pelham felt the company needed more firefighters (and younger men).  Thus, on Tuesday, June 6, 1922, members of the Company appeared at a meeting of the Fire Commissioners of the First Fire District of Pelham and petitioned the Commissioners to permit the Company to expand to thirty men.  The Fire Commissioners granted the petition, vaulting the small Company forward into the realm of modern firefighting with a focus on saving the lives and property of those who lived in Pelham Heights.

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Below is the text of a number of newspaper articles that touch on the subject of today's Historic Pelham article.  Each is followed by a citation and link to its source.

"NORTH PELHAM.
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FIREMEN'S INSPECTION.
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Annual Affair Held Last Night Was a Great Success.
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The annual inspection of the Pelham fire department took place last evening at the fire headquarters on Fifth avenue.

One hundred and six members of the department which comprises Relief Hook and Ladder, Liberty Engine and Hose companies and Hose company No. 2, of Pelham, assembled in Fireman's hall where the fire commissioners and the chiefs conducted the inspection.  After the inspection the members of the department formed on Fifth avenue and marched through the different streets of the village led by the Bugle, Fife and Drum Corps of the Order of Moose, of Mount Vernon.  Of the companies, the hook and ladder was first in line followed by the Liberty Engine and Hose company which preceded Hose company No. 2.

Every man in line was in uniform and carried a lantern.  The parade was through all of the streets excepting Fifth avenue which is being torn up.  After the parade, the companies returned to headquarters where refreshments were served.  The inspection was the best that has taken place in many years.  The new search light which was recently installed upon the hook and ladder was one of the features of the parade.  The line of march was marked with red lights.  Previous to leaving headquarters, box 23 was sounded on the new signal system."

Source:  NORTH PELHAM -- FIREMEN'S INSPECTION -- Annual Affair Held Last Night Was a Great Success, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Sep. 26, 1912, p. 6, col. 2.  

"New Fire Apparatus Here.

The new automobile fire apparatus to be used by Hose Company No. 2 of the first fire district of the town of Pelham arrived Wednesday.  The machine is equipped with a 35-gallon chemical tank and auxiliary by which a hose can be attached to a hydrant and the water forced into the tank and then through the chemical hose.  The auto carries a thousand feet of Chemical hose and a thousand feet of regulation hose, also one extension ladder, axes and hand extinguishers.  The auto is a bright, fire-red color with gold letters on the side of the body reading, 'Pelham Fire Department, First District.'  The new apparatus will not be placed in the house now used by Hose Company No. 2 owing to the restrictions that forbid garages.  Owing to this condition the board of fire commissioners will arrange for a location on unrestricted property.  Fire Commissioner Charles W. Foster, accompanied the demonstrator from New York city to North Pelham when the machine arrived."

Source:  New Fire Apparatus Here, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Mar. 2, 1917, p. 7, col. 4.  

"To Increase Membership Of Hose Company No. 2
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Hose Company No. 2 will endeavor to interest the younger men of Pelham Heights in the Fire Department, and in that end requested the Board of Fire Commissioners to allow the membership of the company to be increased from twenty members to thirty.  Gardner Hazen, secretary of the Pelham Heights company, appeared before the Board of Fire Commissioners Tuesday night and made the request.  The commissioners granted it.

Originally the Pelham Heights Company was formed as an auxiliary company, answering to all alarms in Pelham Heights and second alarms in North Pelham.  The interest of the members of this company has become such that the company answers all alarms.  Being an auxiliary company the membership was limited to twenty, but since the company has established itself as a regular company it was thought advisable to enlist the interest of the younger men of Pelham Heights."

Source:  To Increase Membership Of Hose Company No. 2, The Pelham Sun, Jun. 9, 1922, p. 6, col. 2.  

"ROSTER OF FANCY PELHAM FIRE UNIT IS WHO'S WHO
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Doctors, Lawyers, Merchants, Millionaires Proud to March With Boys of Company No. 2 -- Volunteer Organization Numbers Many Real Notables
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(Specital To The Daily Argus)

PELHAM, Sept. 24. -- While you don't have to be a banker, broker, lawyer, doctor or millionaire to belong to Hose Company No. 2, the Pelham Heights volunteer fire fighting unit, it 'so happens this is the type of man membership the company has been built on.

Roy Howard, chairman of the board of directors of the Scripps-Howard newspapers was a member of the company until he moved out of the Village recently.

The late Albert C. Field, one-time president of the Produce Exchange, and a multi-millionaire, was a member.

The roster of the company at any time since its formation would be significantly similar to the heavy part of the assessment roll.

Community Spirit

In other words, well-heeled residents of the Village, finding themselves in a volunteer fire district, are willing, glad in fact, to have a part in saving their own or their neighbors' home from fire.

Take the membership of the company today -- you'll find professional men, heads of corporations, stock brokers, lawyers, an importer, a banker, a builder of skyscrapers -- men who are writing NRA codes Monday and grabbing the early plane for the west coast Tuesday.

They are imbued with the community spirit, never loathe to hop out of bed at 2 A.M. when the fire whistle blows and properly appreciative of the fact that the non-commuting volunteers of the two North Pelham companies are alone giving the entire district dependable protection.  

Volunteers of the Heights company, many away from the Village during the day, are sure to be on the job for night fires.

Serious at Drill

The hand that wields the fountain pen has become adept in holding the squirming fire hose.  The well-to-do Heights Vamps [slang for volunteer firefighters] are serious and regular attendants at department drills, quick to learn and anxious to serve.  They meet regularly and impose fines for non-attendance at fires uncompromisingly.

Taking it for granted members can't very well aid in fighting daytime fires, the company has a rule which reads:  $10 fine for inexcusable absence from a fire' -- and in the words of one of the members, Fire Commissioner Arthur Koppel, 'we mean inexcusable.'

On Friday night of this week they will proudly don their smart blue uniforms and march up Fifth Avenue in the annual inspection parade.

Prominent Members

Members in the company today include the commissioner, Mr. Koppel, who is a member of the firm of Shroder and Koppel, builders of the Sherry-Netherlands and of other skyscrapers.  

There are Roy Passmore, vice-president of the Guarantee Trust Company; Joseph Leffson, president of one insurance company and vice-president of another; Channing Jacques, an owner of a large printing business; former Judge J. Dudley Eggleston.

Others are Harold Garton, an executive vice-president for Lord and Taylor; Robert Armstrong, a leading New York City real estate broker; Harry Kreuter, importer; D. Merrill Van Cott, captain of the Hose Company, a stock broker.

Dr. A. C. McGuire, Cliff Avenue, was an organizer of the company.  Dr. Walter Brundage was an active member for many years, as were W. W. Warner, Walter E Bunnell, Clyde Gray, School Trustee, and many others prominent in the Village.

Early History

The company formed and acquired a building to house a hand-drawn hose in 1913 [sic; company formed at least as early as 1912].  As the organization got practical fire-fighting experience it grew in wisdom.

For instance, the first fire-house was a little shed near the present site of the Colonial School on Highbrook Avenue.

But that meant that when there was a fire on the hill, the boys had to drag the hose wagon up hill.

So six months after they had established themselves near the school site, they pulled stakes and took another shed up on Monterey Avenue near Second Street, where they could have the benefit of gravity.

Along about 1915 [sic; should be 1917] they decided they were good enough for serious fire-fighting, so they bought the automobile apparatus that is still in use and in good working order."

Source:  ROSTER OF FANCY PELHAM FIRE UNIT IS WHO'S WHO -- Doctors, Lawyers, Merchants, Millionaires Proud to March With Boys of Company No. 2 -- Volunteer Organization Numbers Many Real Notables, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Sep. 24, 1934, p. 7, cols. 2-3.  

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Below is a list of prior Historic Pelham Blog postings that touch on firefighting and the history of firefighting units within the Town of Pelham.

Fri., Jan. 20, 2017:  A Proud Pelham Fire Department Took Possession of a New American La France Fire Engine in 1914.

Thu., Jan. 19, 2017:  Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold:  Don't Mess With a Pelham Fireman.

Thu., Jan. 12, 2017:  Six of Pelham's Earliest Firefighters Marched in the 36th Annual Fire Inspection Parade in 1930.

Tue., Dec. 06, 2016:  An Account of the Tragic Vaughan Livery Stable Fire in Pelhamville in 1907.

Wed., Nov. 16, 2016:  More on the 1889 Fire that Destroyed the Hunter House on Travers Island.

Tue., Oct. 04, 2016:  Harry R. King, Fire Chief of the First Fire District From 1911 to 1913.

Wed., Jun. 15, 2016:  Organized Volunteer Fire Fighting in Pelhamville Began as Early as 1885.

Tue., Jun. 14, 2016:  The First Annual Inspection of Pelhamville Fire Fighting Units in 1894.

Tue., Jun. 07, 2016:  When Did Pelham's Minneford Engine Company Acquire its First Fire-Fighting Steam Engine?

Mon., May 16, 2016:  Fatal Fire in 1902 at One Fifth Avenue Burned Down the Post Office and Pharmacy.

Fri., Apr. 29, 2016:  Famous Meyers Mansion in Pelham Manor Burned Down in 1897.

Thu., Apr. 28, 2016:  Pelham Manor Dutifully Extinguished a Fire That Nearly Burned Down its Hated Wooden Train Station in 1896.

Mon., Jan. 04, 2016:  Pelham Manor Voters Voted to Disband the Pelham Manor Fire Department in 1928.  

Mon., Dec. 14, 2015:  Early History of the Village of Pelham Manor Fire Department.

Fri., Dec. 11, 2015:  Evidence of An Early Independent Firefighting Unit in Pelham Named "Indians."

Thu., Dec. 10, 2015:  Grand Fire-Fighting Competition and Parade Held in the Town of Pelham in 1891.

Wed., Dec. 09, 2015:  Pelham's Minneford Engine Company Built a New Fire House on City Island in 1894.

Mon., Dec. 07, 2015:  The Code Used on the City Island Fire Bell in the Late 19th Century Used for Fire Alarms.

Mon., Nov. 30, 2015:  Another Detailed Account of the 1901 Fire that Destroyed the Clubhouse of the New York Athletic Club on Travers Island.

Fri., Nov. 20, 2015:  Account of 1894 Fire in One of Pelham's Earliest Newspapers.

Wed., Sep. 30, 2015:  Was it Arson that Destroyed the Prospect Hill School at Jackson and Plymouth Avenues in 1917?

Thu., Sep. 17, 2015:  An Account of the February 28, 1925 Fire at Pelhamdale, A Home on the National Register of Historic Places.

Fri., Jun. 12, 2015:  The Tumultuous Reign of Pelham Manor Fire Chief J. Louis Cunningham in the Early 1900s.

Tue., Jun. 09, 2015:  Reminiscences of Firemen Who Served From 1893 Until 1923 in North Pelham.

Wed., Jun. 03, 2015:  The Bell in Firemen's Memorial Park at First Street and Wolfs Lane.

Tue., Jun. 02, 2015:  Important Early Images of the Pelham Fire Department.

Fri., May 22, 2015:  History of Pelham's Beloved "Nott Steamer" Known as "Jim Reilly's Boiler."

Thu., Mar. 26, 2015:  Fire Destroyed the Old Pelham Manor Post Office in 1945.

Fri., Mar. 20, 2015:  Fire in 1932 Devastated the Bolton Priory in Pelham Manor.

Tue., Feb. 17, 2015:  More on the Early History of Organized Firefighting in the Settlement of Pelhamville.

Mon., Feb. 16, 2015: The Great Furniture Fight of 1896: Company of Pelhamville Firemen Resigned En Masse.

Thu., Feb. 12, 2015: Rare 19th Century Image of Pelhamville Firemen Who Served in Relief Hook and Ladder Company No. 1.

Fri., Dec. 12, 2014: Parade and Housewarming Hosted by Pelhamville Fire Department in 1894.

Thu., Dec. 11, 2014:  Pelhamville's First Attempt to Create a Fire Department in 1893 Failed Due to a Legal Technicality.

Thu., Jul. 24, 2014: Dedication of the New Fire Headquarters in the Village of Pelham on December 29, 1927.

Wed., Jul. 02, 2014: Election Shenanigans Involving Fire Commissioner Election in 1898.


Thu., Apr. 24, 2014: Information About the History of Fire Departments in the Town of Pelham Published in 1927.

Thu., Jan. 30, 2014:  The Night Pelham's Town Hall Burned.

Fri., Jan. 24, 2014: Early Days of Organized Fire Fighting in Today's Village of Pelham.

Thu., Jan. 23, 2014:  Another Account of the Devastating Fire that Destroyed the Travers Island Clubhouse of New York Athletic Club in 1901.

Wed., May 12, 2010:  Fire Partly Destroyed Pelham Town Hall in 1908.

Fri., Jan. 15, 2010: Photograph of Augustine C. McGuire, President of the Board of Fire Commissioners of the First District Fire Department in 1913.

Thu., Jan. 14, 2010: 1913 Report of the Firemen's Benevolent Association in Pelham.

Thu., Dec. 10, 2009: More 19th Century Baseball and Firefighting References.

Tue., Dec. 08, 2009: The Darling Triplets: Three Brothers Among Pelham's Earliest Firefighters.

Thu., Oct. 08, 2009: Firefighting Units on City Island in Pelham During the Early 1890's.

Fri., Sep. 04, 2009:  1901 Newspaper Article About Fire that Burned New York Athletic Club Clubhouse on Travers Island.

Mon., Aug. 31, 2009: Contest in 1891 To Determine Which Steam Fire Engine Company Could Throw a Stream the Greater Distance.

Fri., Aug. 28, 2009: Reorganization of the Minneford Engine Company on City Island in February, 1891.

Thu., Aug. 06, 2009: Brief History of the Fire Department in the Village of North Pelham Published in 1913.

Wed., Aug. 05, 2009: Pelham Manor Fire Chief Pleads for Taxpayers to Authorize Purchase of Village's First Fire Engine.

Wed., July 15, 2009: Liberty Hose Company Election in 1898.

Thu., Feb. 19, 2009:  The Old Hunter House Burns to the Ground in an Arson Incident on Travers Island on April 4, 1889.

Thu., Jan. 19, 2006: Pelham Manor's Earliest Fire Fighting Equipment.

Wed., Jan. 18, 2006:  Newspaper Report of the Infamous Vaughan's Livery Stable Fire in North Pelham in 1907.

Mon., Oct. 17, 2005:  The Firemen's Memorial of the Pelham Fire Department.

Mon., Aug. 01, 2005: An 1896 Inspection and Drill of the Fire Department in Pelham.

Tue., May 31, 2005:  The June 6, 1940 Fire That Destroyed the George M. Reynolds Mansion (Part I of II).

Wed., Jun. 01, 2005:  The June 6, 1940 Fire That Destroyed the George M. Reynolds Mansion (Part II of II).

Fri., May 06, 2005:  The Great Furniture Battle at Pelhamville's Relief Hook and Ladder Company in 1896.

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Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.

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Photograph of Augustine C. McGuire, President of the Board of Fire Commissioners of the First District Fire Department in 1913

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I recently posted to the Historic Pelham Blog the text of a report issued in 1913 by Augustine C. McGuire, President of the Board of Fire Commissioners.  See:

Thu., August 6, 2009:  Brief History of the Fire Department in the Village of North Pelham Published in 1913.

Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog contains an image of Augustine C. McGuire published in The Pelham Sun in 1913.  The newspaper page that contains the image is in the collection of The Office of The Historian of The Town of Pelham.  The newspaper page is undated, but contains text references indicating that it was published between September 6, 1913 and December 31, 1913.  The image appears below, followed by a citation to its source.

Source:  Dr. A. C. McGuire, President Fire Board, First Dist., The Pelham Sun, 1913, p. 2, col. 7 (undated newspaper page in the collections of the Office of The Historian of The Town of Pelham, NY; digital copy in author's files; references in text indicate page was published between Sep. 6, 1913 and Dec. 31, 1913).

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Brief History of the Fire Department in the Village of North Pelham Published in 1913

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web Site
Located at http://www.historicpelham.com/.
Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.

In 1913, The Pelham Sun published a report on the state of the First District Fire Department prepared by Augustine C. McGuire, President of the Board of Fire Commissioners.  The report included a little on the history of the Fire Department.  The text of the report is transcribed below.  A photograph of the fire house that accompanied the article appears immediately below.

"First District Fire Department
-----

The First Fire District of the Pelham Fire Department consists of all that part of the Town of Pelham lying north of the boundary line of Pelham Manor, and was authorized by a Special Act of the Legislature in 1893.  In March of that year two companies were organized, the Liberty Hose and the Relief Hook and Ladder Companies.  They were each allowed thirty men, and a small hand-drawn hook and ladder truck and hose wagon were purchased.  The truck was kept in the Town Hall and the hose wagon in Barker's barn, and with this apparatus the companies successfully fought many fires for fifteen years. 

In 1894 a small fire house was built on the present site to house the apparatus.  In 1907 the taxpayers, realizing that the firemen were seriously handicapped in their efforts by the old antiquated apparatus, voted a bond issue to build the present Fire Headquarters, consisting of a large apparatus room and five stalls for horses on the first floor and a hall 40 x 70 feet above for entertainments.  The old quarters were moved to the rear of the lot and joined to the new house.  This old building is now used for company rooms upstairs and on the first floor are located the commissioners' office and the room for the fire alarm system and motors.  This bond issue also furnished a steam fire engine and team of horses and a horse-drawn hook and ladder truck.  The companies were then enlarged to fifty members each.  Two years ago a third company was formed in the Heights, limited to twenty members, and they were given a small house, hose reel and 750 of hose.

Prior to 1912 an alarm of fire was sent to the Fire House by telephone or by messenger, and some one would then ring a large bell at the Fire House and all the firemen would report a[t] headquarters to find out where the fire was and go from there to the fire.  This all took time and the fire made great headway before the men finally arrived there.  After the Rosenheimer fire the commissioners asked for a bond issue to install an up-to-date alarm system, and, on this being approved, installed the Gamewell system, which is considered the best in the world.  This system works automatically, the horn at Fire Headquarters calling off the number as the lever in the fire-box is pulled; thus informing everyone where the fire is, and enabling the firemen to go direct to the fire instead of reporting first at headquarters.

This year the department ruined two horses, due to their pulling the engine, which weighs over two tons up the steep hills.  The commissioners looked into this matter very carefully and found that by selling the horses and getting an automobile equipment, they could reduce the fire tax considerably.  They therefore in November of this year appealed to the taxpayers for a bond issue to purchase a triple combination pumping auto engine and an automobile hook and ladder truck.  The first proposition was voted upon favorably, but the automobile truck was defeated by ten votes.  The contract for the former will be given out within a week.  This year our budget has been reduced about $500.

Quite a number of the original members of the Fire Department still doing duty, joined when the company was first organized.  The firemen of this department are doing splendid work and are rated as among the best of the State.  They have been thoroughly trained and are absolutely fearless.  A few years ago there were a number of so-called jury-dodgers among the members, but this has been eliminated and now every member is a worker.  Since the organization of the department there have only been three lives lost in Pelham, one at the Lyman fire and two at the Vaughan fire.

I would like to, and hope to, see in the near future one fire department for the town, with the fire alarm system extended to Pelham Manor and an automatic bell striker placed in the Heights and another in the Manor, which will work automatically with the horn on the headquarters in North Pelham.  The main apparatus, consisting of an automobile pumping engine and hook and ladder truck, should be kept in North Pelham, as we will always have to reply upon the men in that section for a greater part of our help, their business requiring most of them to be there at all times.  In the Manor and in the Height I would like to see a small automobile hose car, large enough to carry 750 feet of hose and a chemical tank.  With a company formed in the Manor, similar to Hose Company No. 2 in the Heights, we should be able to handle any fire in the town without outside aid.  By combining the three villages we could reduce the fire tax materially, as there would then be practically no expense except in case of fire.

In conclusion I would say that too much praise cannot be given to the firemen of our department, when we realize that they give their time and services and risk their health and lives at each fire and are receiving no remuneration whatever.

AUGUSTINE C. McGUIRE, M.D.,
Pres. Board of Fire Commissioners."

Source:  First District Fire Department, The Pelham Sun, 1913, p. 2, col. 1 (undated newspaper page in the collections of the Office of The Historian of The Town of Pelham, NY; digital copy in author's files).

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