As we continue to look at the history of South Portland’s fire department, we take a look this week at the very first fire department that formed in the Ferry Village section of South Portland. We were still called Cape Elizabeth in the early 1890s, although those in Ferry Village were calling their neighborhood “South Portland” at that time.

We previously discussed the division in sentiment in the early town, with those in the northern, densely-settled neighborhoods willing to have their taxes increased to bring in public water for fire protection. After Portland’s great fire in 1866, people were very aware of the potential danger of fire when homes were built along streets and located fairly close to one another.

A bucket brigade would be no match for a serious fire on a windy day. Of course for those farmers on the southern end of town, the houses and farms were far enough apart that they didn’t have the same concerns, and they certainly didn’t like the idea of paying more taxes to fund the fire protection for the northern neighborhoods.

With most residents living in the northern part of town, they had the votes and won the battle. So, in May 1892, the town of Cape Elizabeth went ahead and signed a contract to bring in Sebago water, and with water pipes and fire hydrants being installed that summer, a petition was passed around the Ferry Village neighborhood, calling for residents to step up and form a volunteer hose company.

A group of residents met on Sept. 21, 1892, at the Union Opera House, also known as the Union Hall and later as the Union Armory Gym, on the corner of Monroe Street and School Street. They formed the town’s first fire company, known originally as the Volunteer Hose Company No. 1. In 1898, the same year that the town of South Portland became the city of South Portland, the company was renamed South Portland Hose & Ladder Company No. 1.

In 1930, after the company eliminated its ladder cart, the name changed to Hose 1, SPFD. The company changed its name yet again in November 1937, to simply Engine 1, SPFD.

There were initially 40 men in the company in 1892 and they elected Forest L. Paige to serve as their foreman or captain. The company held regular bi-monthly meetings to deal with the issues of a new organization. By the end of the year, they had already raised some money and purchased 500 feet of hose from the Reever Hose Co., two hydrant wrenches and pipe fittings from Megquier & Jones, and two shut-off nozzles from the Gutta Percha & Rubber Manufacturing Company.

In March, 1893, several ladders were purchased including a 46-foot extension ladder. In an article in the Portland Daily Press in July, 1900, the company had just received a “handsome new hose cart, which will soon be put into service. The cart is being fitted with nickel plated railings all around and will be a great addition to the fine apparatus now owned by this company. The company also received the new Siamese couplings Saturday afternoon and, with the 500 feet of new hose recently purchased from the Portland Fire Department, are well equipped to fight fires.”

The process of raising money for the purchase of firefighting equipment (through dances, dinners, fairs and other fundraisers) was a continual effort.

Hose House: On Sept. 23, 1892, the hose company obtained an existing wooden building, a former carpentry shop on School Street, to use for storage of the company’s equipment. They made some alterations to the building and had it completed and fitted out as their hose house by January 1893. At the June 30, 1893, hose company meeting, the subject of moving the building was brought forward and discussed. In the company’s Sept. 29, 1893, meeting minutes, it was reported that the building had been moved and the bill for $15 for the move had already been paid.

While we are not sure of the exact original location of that first wooden building, it appears to have been moved to the rear of the property at 75 School St. In 1895, members of the company voted to build a brand new fire station. They received the green light from the town of South Portland to build their new house on the town property at 75 School St. The construction was completed quickly and the new station was already completed and moved into by Jan. 22, 1896 (that building still exists and is now a residential home).

According to an early history of the Engine 1 company, before a hose cart was obtained, moving 500 feet of hose on a reel proved difficult in the wintertime: “Finding it impossible to drag the reel through the snow and drifts, the hose was taken from the reel and each length coiled and tied. The first fire alarm was rung in on the second night of the fair which was held in the month of February [1893]. The alarm was given around midnight. The fire was in a house on Pickett Street near the corner of Bean Street. The members of the Company carried their hose to the nearest hydrant which was at the corner of Preble and High Sts. Many members said it was a waste of time to lay the hose as the distance was much too great to reach the fire. Others maintained that buckets could be used and if the hose was laid that they would be much nearer the fire. The hose was laid and reached one corner of the burning house which made it possible to keep the house next door from catching fire. It also convinced these new and inexperienced firemen that the best policy in firefighting was to lay the line first and argue afterwards.”

Our early records of the company are scanty, but our research thus far has shown that a core group of men were active in the company for many years, and they often rotated the leadership role. The first leaders were given the title of foreman, but within a few years, the title changed to captain.

A partial list of these foremen/captains includes: Forest L. Paige (1892-93), David Willard (1893-95), George H. Upton (1898-1899, also in 1901-1903, and again in 1909), Charles Coffen (1899), Benjamin K. Thompson (1900-1901), William A. Skinner (1903-1904), Harry B. Purington (1904-1905), William H. Turner (1905-1908), Joseph H. Upton (1910-1911), James E. Paige (1911-1921), Andrew Y. Skinner (1922-1923), Alfred Brooks, Oscar T. Wallace, Edward H. Richardson (who served as captain for more than 20 years) and Robert Wallingford, Jr.

As we continue to research the history of South Portland Hose & Ladder Company No. 1, we hope to hear from readers who might have photographs, artifacts, or information to share. Please reach out to the South Portland Historical Society by mail at 55 Bug Light Park, South Portland, ME 04106, by email at sphistory04106@gmail.com, by phone at 207-767-7299, or message us on Facebook.

Kathryn Onos DiPhilippo is executive director of the South Portland Historical Society. She can be reached at sphistory04106@gmail.com.

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