The Bell in Firemen's Memorial Park at First Street and Wolfs Lane

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Firemen's Memorial Park is located in the Village of Pelham near the corner of First Street and Wolfs Lane.  The centerpiece of the park is a massive and extraordinarily-beautiful bell that sits atop an impressive stone monument.  

Though the bell in Firemen's Memorial Park bears a date of 1893 when the First Fire District of the Town of Pelham was founded, the bell actually was cast by the McShane Bell Foundry in Baltimore, Maryland in 1900.  It served for nearly three decades as the alarm bell used by the local fire department located in the Village of North Pelham. 

Before the McShane Fire Bell was first installed, the fire alarm for the Pelham Fire Department was an old railroad engine wheel.  It was suspended in a frame and was hit with a hammer worked with a chain.  When the alarm sounded, firemen ran to the scene of the fire from all corners of the settlement. 

Memorial in Firemen's Memorial Park

at Corner of First Street and Wolfs Lane.

Photograph by the Author, 2002.

Cast into the bell on the side facing the front of the monument is the following:

"1ST FIRE DISTRICT TOWN PELHAAM
ORGANIZED FEB., 1893.
BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS
V. BARKER, PRES.
C.A. BARKER, SEC'Y
J.H. YOUNG     A. ANDERSON
A. FLETCHER     J. F. FAIRCHILD, TREAS."

Carved into the front of the stone monument is the following:

"PELHAM FIRE DEPARTMENT
[Logo showing Minuteman with 'Battle of Pelham * 1776' inside a circle, and 'FOUNDED' above the circle with '1893' below the circle, a fire hydrant to the right of the circle and a hook and ladder to the left of the circle.]
In dedication to all those past, present,
and yet to come who have been and
always will be known as Pelham's Bravest.
This monument shall forever stand to honor those who selflessly put themselves
in harm's way time and time again to
protect the lives and property of this
community.  Let no one forget the
service they provide.
DEDICATED IN THE YEAR OF OUR CENTENNIAL
SEPTEMBER 11, 1993"

Carved into the left side of the stone monument when facing its front is the following:

"FIRST FIRE DISTRICT TOWN OF PELHAM
1893
LIBERTY ENGINE & HOSE CO. NO. 1
1893
RELIEF HOOK & LADDER CO. NO. 1
1893"

Carved into the right side of the stone monument when facing its front is the following:

"PELHAM HOSE CO. NO. 2
1911
LOCAL NO. 2213, IAFF
1973
FIRE DEPT., VILLAGE OF PELHAM
1975"

Although the monument located in Firemen's Memorial Park was dedicated on September 11, 1993 to commemorate, among other things, the centennial of the organization of the First Fire District of the Town of Pelham in 1893, it is important to note that the fire bell that was placed atop the stone monument was set aside 65 years earlier in 1928 as a memorial "to those who served the community in the early days, and organized the fire department."

Below is the text of an article published in the March 2, 1928 issue of The Pelham Sun noting that the fire bell had been set aside as a memorial and would be kept as a "trophy" by the firefighters in the Village of North Pelham.  The article is followed by a citation and link to its source. 

"Fire Bell Memorial To Fire Fighters Of Early Days Of Pelham
-----
Old Firemen's Hall Razed; Fire Bell Will Be Preserved as Memento of Olden Days
-----

A burning pile of assorted lumber and a disorder of broken up concrete flooring are all that remains of the building which housed the fire apparatus of the First Fire District for many years.  During the last week the old fire headquarters rapidly disappeared from its site on Fifth avenue near fourth street.  To the older members of the fire department who have been volunteers for the last quarter century the passing of Firemen's Hall was like the departure of an old friend.  Although physically non-existent, the old building will be vividly constructed out of the timbers of memory by many of the old timers who saw service with the building.  The new headquarters is a splendid monument, but the old building was home to the old timers. 

One relic of the earlier days of the fire department is to be preserved as the single memento.  The old fire bell whose deep intonations sounded so loudly in the small Pelham villages when the fire department was first organized, will hold an exalted position in the trophy collection of the fire department.

When the old bell tower was removed from the building many of the members of the department had their first glimpse of the old bell.  It was cast at the McShane Bell Foundry in Baltimore in 1900 and bears the following inscription:

'First Fire District of the Town of Pelham; Organized February 1893; Board of Fire Commissioners, Vincent Barker, president, C. A. Barker, secretary; John H. Young, A. Anderson, A. G. C. Fletcher, John F. Fairchild, Treasurer.'

The old bell, now silent, will stand as a memorial to those who served the community in the early days, and organized the fire department."

Source:  Fire Bell Memorial To Fire Fighters Of Early Days Of Pelham -- Old Firemen's Hall Razed; Fire Bell Will Be Preserved as Memento of Olden Days, The Pelham Sun, Mar. 2, 1928, p. 4, col. 4.

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

Tue., Jun. 2, 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."

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., 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.

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

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.

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

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

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.
Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.
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