One of the greatest services provided in all parts of the Wissahickon Valley Region are the fire companies: Wissahickon Station 7 and Centre Square Station 33. Learn about how both these fire companies came to be, and how much they progress from their humble beginnings to the present.
The Great Fire of Ambler
It was July 8, 1886 when the home of Theodore Quinty (1803-1888) on Chestnut street was completely consumed by fire. Due to this incident, the residents of Ambler held a meeting, wondering how they can be protected from another fire.
A great fire happened in spring 1890 when John S. Buchanan's (1862-1905) building and the sheds and stables at Hotel Ambler were engulfed in flames. It was considered the most serious "conflagration" during that time. They even had the fire company's engine of Jenkintown sent to Ambler on a flat freight car to put out the
"Previous to the fire there was an organization for the purpose of fighting fires within the borough, fact its strongest argument for existence was the fact that it had never been called into real service. Such equipment as it had was primitive in the extreme. It had some little hose, some ladders, etc., and a small supply of rubber buckets, and the writer distinctly remembers standing in the human line in the mist of the mud of Race street and passing [their] buckets as they were filled with water at the pump in the rear of Allen Couter's present resident, in an attempt to stay the flames as they swept the frame stables of the hotel property."
- Ambler Gazette, November 19, 1925
Because of this serious fire, it led to a "more effective" organization of the Wissahickon Fire Company. Ever since their existence, they responded to numerous fire incidents, including places like the Gazette building and the Wyndham Hotel. It led to the purchase of horse-drawn Silsby fire engines.
The organization was chartered by the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas on April 6, 1891.
A Fire House Was Dedicated
A fire house was dedicated to the Wissahickon Fire Company on November 3, 1917. It was built by Harry P. Schneider on the former site of the Palace Theatre (before the Ambler Theater existed). The building cost $20,000. The first floor is the apparatus room with concrete floor and the rear section is the assembly and game room for the members. On the second floor it had a storage room and rooms for the borough council, committee, and the fire company. The rear section has a janitor quarters.
During its dedication, the fire company received an ambulance and pulmotor, and a modern American LaFrance fire engine for $15,000 that included the fire fighting apparatus.
The building was designed by the local architect firm Schermerhorn & Phillips.
The Wissahickon Fire Company operates at two locations: one in Ambler and the other in Lower Gwynedd.
The Centre Square Fire Company
In 1913, Centre Square Fire Company enrolled 35 members as volunteers of the company. Before they had an official site, the company held their meetings at Odd Fellows' Hall at the corner of Skippack and Dekalb Pikes. A gift was given to the fire company a plot of land by J. Howard Breed's wife of 40 by 60 feet close to Odd Fellows' Hall.
With the support from the Ladies' Auxiliary of Whitpain, they were able to receive enough funds to purchase fire equipments, including their first 60 horsepower Winton automobile that was converted into a fire truck.
In 1954 the Centre Square Fire Company moved to their current location on Skippack Pike across from the Centre Square Shopping Center.
Special Find From a Local Resident
Back in March of this year, I was contacted by a shop owner in Ambler who found these Mercer tiles inside the Home by Kristen building, the same building where the former fire house was located. I am very proud of this shop owner who took pride in saving this important piece of history.
Thank you so much Kristen for sharing these photos to me! You truly played a part in preserving Ambler's history.
Bibliography
"About Us." Centre Square Fire Company. Accessed March 23, 2024. https://www.csfc33.com/about-us-1.
"About Us." Wissahickon Fire Company. Accessed March 17, 2024. https://www.station7.org/about-us/.
"Accomplishment Of The Fire Company." Ambler Gazette. November 19, 1925. Page 1. https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/papd/islandora/object/papd%3Awivp-gazett_17019.
Bellavance, Russ. "Center Square Fire Company - Serving Whitpain Since 1913." Wissahickon Valley Historical Society (2016). https://www.wvalleyhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Center-Square-Fire-Company-Serving-Whitpain-Since-1913-March-2016.pdf.
"Centre Square Auto Truck." Ambler Gazette. August 14, 1913. Page 4. https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/papd/islandora/object/papd%3Awivp-gazett_8530.
"Centre Square Fire Company." Ambler Gazette. March 6, 1913. Page 3. https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/papd/islandora/object/papd%3Awivp-gazett_9784.
"Centre Square Fire Company." Ambler Gazette. June 12, 1913. Page 4. https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/papd/islandora/object/papd%3Awivp-gazett_9468.
"Fire House is Dedicated." Ambler Gazette. November 8, 1917. Page 1. https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/papd/islandora/object/papd%3Awivp-gazett_7836.
"Gives Lot to Fire Company." Ambler Gazette. May 8, 1913. Page 3. https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/papd/islandora/object/papd%3Awivp-gazett_7746.
Herman, Andrew Mark. Along the Wissahickon Creek. (Charleston: Arcadia Publishing, 2004): 27.
Hough, Mary P. H. "Early history of Ambler." A Celebration of Women Writers. Accessed March 17, 2024. https://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/hough/ambler/ambler.html.
Philadelphia Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide 53, n. 12 (1917): 198
Quattrone, Frank D. Ambler. (Charleston: Arcadia Publishing, 2004): 104.
"The Ambler Firemen Solicit Your Assistance." Ambler Gazette. February 17, 1910. Page 2. https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/papd/islandora/object/papd%3Awivp-gazett_4243.
"Whittock's Whitpain." Wissahickon Valley Historical Society. Accessed March 23, 2024. https://www.wvalleyhs.org/whittocks-whitpain/.