The Hinman House Fire There are many “urban legends” scattered throughout the history of the West Haven Fire Department. The very first one concerns a fire that struck the Hinman House on the afternoon of November 6, 1888. Urban legend would have us believe that, due to the lack of a local fire department, Hinman House burned to the ground. …
In the beginning…
The formation of the Center District To start at the very beginning, we need to travel back in time some fifteen years before Engine and Hose Company #1 was organized and the West Haven Fire Department came into existence. In May of 1873 a resolution was passed through the General Assembly incorporating the “Borough of West Haven”. Although the Town …
Who was first, indeed.
The first fully mechanized fire department Urban legend would have us believe that the honor of the first fully mechanized (or motorized) fire department in the United States goes to the fire department of Savannah, Georgia. In 1911, after the purchase and successful operation of the new American La France Auto Combination Chemical Wagon, Savannah’s City Council placed an order …