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| Early firefighting in South Berwick was a community effort, if a Fire Ward yelled "Fire" everyone in the community responded. The residents then grabbed their fire buckets and ran to the nearest stream, well, hogshead or cistern and raced to the fire. |
| As time went by, the town purchased “Engines”, hand operated fire trucks that required manual labor to both pull the “tub” to the fire and then to hand pump the water onto the fire. The first town owned fire truck (hand-tub) was purchased in 1845 at the cost to the town of $750, a lot of money for a farming village. Soon after the purchase of this piece of modern firefighting equipment, the town experienced a rash of arson fires. |
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| The town was shifting from its agricultural base and was quickly become a manufacturing hub; with that, lawlessness and an alcoholic culture came with it. The State of Maine was the first state to restrict the distribution of liquor and disgruntled residents began striking back at the moral based community members who supported this move. The Methodist Church was burned and later the barn of a prohibitionist. These acts were followed by the burning of the town’s historic “Powder House” even after the town offered $300 for information to the conviction of any arsonist, more fires were set including the Portsmouth Company cotton mill, Berwick Academy (the area’s only high school) and the home of Judge Hayes. The suspects were eventually captured and charges were pursued but an impression of fire protection was ingrained in the citizens. In 1855 the “Piscataqua Mutual Fire and Marine Insurance Company of South Berwick” was formed to better protect property owners. Firefighting companies were formed to replace the ward system and in 1861 the "South Berwick Fire Engine Company No. 1" was formed. Then in 1861 a new engine house was purchased to house the hand-tub near the center of town. In 1870, fire broke out in the center of town destroying the largest business block in Central Square with a number of businesses destroyed. The “fire truck” came but rendered useless with no water mains, no hydrants and no high pressure hose to supply it, and quickly pumped down the only water available from wells in the vicinity. Citizens again turned to buckets, wetted carpets and blankets to protect their property. In 1873 there were two engines for the protection of the town; the 50 members of the "Piscataqua Fire Engine Company" and the 40 members of the "Fire King Engine Company". In 1881 a third Engine Company was formed and called the "Citizens Engine Company". Next > |
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