1952 GMC Fire Truck

Another slide photographed by Chuck Madderom outside the Ainsworth-Deep River Fire Department station on September 19, 1983.


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Handwritten notes on the original read:

1952 GMC
250/500
55C

… which is Greek to me.

1969 Darley Champion Diesel Pumper, Take Two

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Here we have probably the very same truck featured in the 1971 advertisement.

The photo was taken on September 19, 1983, by Charles "Chuck" Madderom, from whom I purchased the slide. His handwritten notes on the original read:

1969 DARLEY — FORD 1000/1000
CAT V8 DIESEL

What little I can see of the building in the background looks like the Ainsworth-Deep River Fire Department building.

Darley Champion Diesel Pumper

OK, I could have sworn I posted this a long time ago, but I can't find it in the blog so I must conclude that I'm losing my mind.

This is an advertisement that ran in the March 1970 issue of Fire Engineering magazine, showing off what a fine piece of equipment W.S. Darley & Co. had sold to the Ainsworth-Deep River Fire Department.


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From the Ainsworthiana Collection.

1973 Mack Aerialscope Tower

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Bought this postcard on Ebay. If I understand correctly, the truck dates to 1973 and the postcard to 1982.

If this is history, then I'm an antique.

Fred and his Fire Truck

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Images courtesy of the Hobart Historical Society.

Two views of Fred Rose, Sr., and the Hobart Fire Department's fire truck. Notes on the back of one of them read:

Fire Station at Fourth Street and Lake George. Fred Rose, Senior became town fire marshal and town marshal in 1901, becoming fire chief and chief of police when Hobart became a city in 1921. In 1936 the jobs were split and Rose retained the fire chief post until 1941.

In the top picture, in the background at left you can see what I believe is the Nickel Plate bridge over Lake George, which gives you some idea of where this fire station was.

Neither picture is dated, but this is probably Hobart's first fire truck. From the Hobart Fire Department's 50th anniversary program:

Proud indeed was the city of Hobart when the American LaFrance 500 gallon pumper engine was purchased in 1920. This truck is used today [1943] as an auxiliary to the American LaFrance 750 gallon pumper and booster tank streamlined truck which the city bought in 1940.

If this is that first truck, the photos must date between 1920 and (probably) 1940; judging by Fred's clothes and apparent age, I would put the first one closer to 1920 (Fred was then 53 years old), the second perhaps 10 or 15 years later.

I don't doubt he was proud of that fire truck; in his place, I would have been, too.

Hobart Fire Department Racing Team

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Image courtesy of the Hobart Historical Society.

No names attached to this photo. No date, either, but the mounting board is embossed: "A. Haase/Hobart, Ind." August Haase operated a photo studio in Hobart from late 1902 through 1911 (perhaps a little into 1912, I'm not sure).

We learned from the history written for the department's 50th anniversary that in the early days, when a team of horses "was not handy" the firemen themselves had to pull the equipment, so, although this occasion looks festive (maybe part of a July 4 celebration?), there were times when they weren't racing for fun.

I can't identify the location. It looks quite civilized, with a nice sidewalk or footpath beside the road. There's a house in the far background, but I don't recognize it.