|
|
|
LINKS Bridgewater Fire Districts Map
|
1923-1927: The Beginning March 23, 1923 was a typical windy day in the Martinsville valley with northwest winds blowing up to sixty miles per hour. On that morning in the garage adjourned to Fred Bartle's blacksmith shop, a can of thick varnish was being warmed over a fire in a pot-bellied stove in order to thin the varnish for use on an automotive body. The varnish caught fire, exploded and soon the entire shop was ablaze. The fire quickly spread from the blacksmith shop to the row of houses lining both sides of Washington Valley Road. The homes were destroyed along with the personal belongings of the residents who tried to save what they could by carrying their possessions into the street. The high winds ripped burning shingles off roofs and the fire spread down both sides of the street. Eleven dwellings, the Presbyterian chapel, several barns and garages were destroyed despite valiant efforts of the local residents who formed a bucket brigade to fight the fire. Martinsville did not have a fire department and help had to be called from Somerville. Chief Charles Mathews and members of the Lincoln Chemical Company responded to the call. Also, fire apparatus from Bound Brook, Plainfield, Watchung, and Liberty Corner pumped water from the local wells and used their chemical type apparatus in an effort to extinguish the fire. New York newspapers featured the fire in Martinsville on their front pages the following day. As the community began to rebuild, local residents met to form a fire company in an effort to avoid another disaster. The Martinsville Engine Company No. 1 was incorporated on December 23, 1923. Some of the first volunteer members were William Lyng, Art Waldron, Leon Abbott, Will Van Nest, John Thum, John Neiss, Edwin Smalley, John Masterpeter, Joe Seunderhaft, Grayland Penny, Chick Bartle, Stanley Bartle, and Robert Doty. Mr. Lyng was elected chief and his first order of business was to obtain a fire truck. A large group of shipping crates arrived in Martinsville in 1924 and the members unpacked the fire department's new fire truck, which was shipped unassembled! Fortunately, some members were mechanically inclined and the unit was soon operating efficiently. It was a Model T chemical truck, which was operated by adding sulfuric acid to the water in the two 30-gallon storage tanks. The truck was housed in a garage behind Chief Lyng's store at the intersection of Chimney Rock Road and Washington Valley. The steep driveway proved a very convenient location for the Model T, which was often hard to start. 1928-1945: First Firehouse, Depression, and the War Years 1960-1973: Development of the Valley and the End of the First Fifty Years |
|
Site
last updated 01/12/2008.