Our present Board of Fire Commissioners was officially formed on June 10th, 1919. This was in accordance with Section #4 of the Amended House Bill 177 (An act amending an act establishing a Board of Fire Commissioners for the First Taxation District of the Town of Orange). Our first three Commissioners were: Horatio G. Kelsey John C. Williams Frank S. …
This installment of our department badge series deals with the round badge issued in 1911. Up until this time there was no standard badge issued to members of the department. 1911 marks the first time ALL members of the department were issued the same badge no matter which company they belonged to.
Welcome to our second installment in our Department Badge series. This installment deals with the West Haven Fire Police. Organized in 1899, the Fire Police would play a large role in our department for several years before disbanding in 1913 to make way for the organization of the Borough’s police force. …
Charles Aubrey Cameron was born on February 28, 1872, in Kingsport, Nova Scotia. He began his career with the West Haven Fire Service in 1892 as a member of the James Graham Hook & Ladder Company and, upon their demise in 1902, continued as a member of the West Haven Hook & Ladder. He served as Assistant Chief under Chief …
From our department’s inception in 1888, on through to the present day, our members have worn a variety of different badges. The department’s Historical Library staff has been busy researching and documenting the evolution of the department badge. We have scoured our archives, reached out to our members both past and present, and have studied several private collections. We invite …
On June 6, 1893, just a couple of months after the resignation of Chief William Wilson, Adolphus Jonah Thompson became the second man to hold the position of Chief. In 1894, he would see the end of the two year feud between the James Graham Hook & Ladder and the West Haven Hook & Ladder as well as the construction …
William Vincent Miller was the last of a dying breed but he was very far from the first. From the very beginning, the position of Deputy Chief was in great demand, however, once it was achieved, it was usually abandoned just as quickly. The West Haven Fire Department
William Virgil Wilson was born in Milford, Connecticut on December 26, 1845. His father, Elisha Wilson married Julia A. Benjamin of Milford and together they had eight children. Of the eight, only three survived; William V., Eugene B., and Lillian E. William Wilson went on to be educated at Yale, graduating from the Yale Medical School in 1867. Dr. Wilson …
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. …
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 …
