Niagara Fire Company

This story ran in the May 4, 1978 edition of the Community News.
By Charles Polk

The traditions of out town's Niagara Fire Company - replete with excitement, heroism, highly meritorious fire-fighting and occasion for impromptu social gatherings that decades afterward, still bring surges of nostalgia to many of our people - make Niagara the piece de resistance in any history of Merchantville.

The efficiency of our fire equipment and of the members of this volunteer company of firefighters today justifiably merit the genuine pride of our citizens and their comforting sense of protection. But before we had even horse drawn fire equipment , Niagara's men had won their spurs and public acclaim. Having cut its firefighting eye-teeth on fires ranging from blazing barns to that of the four-story frame Oak Grove Inn (later Merchantville Inn - an old inn located approximately at the corner of Maple Ave and Alexander Ave where the Wachovia Bank stands) in 1892, when former US Senator Alexander Cattell dashed madly in Park Avenue with the hose cart pulled behind his horse and carriage, Niagara was only six years old when, borough council sang its praises in the following letter of July 7, 1894:

"To the Chief and members of the Niagara Fire Company: I am instructed by resolution of Council to express their acknowledgement in behalf of the citizens of Merchantville for the efficient and masterly manner in which you subdued the flames at the McIntyre residence (Chestnut Avenue, third house east of Centre) on June 24th, at midnight. Your work on that occasion fully demonstrated the value of you department at a most critical time, not only saving valuable adjoining properties, but by being able to check the fire and snatch it from its embrace an already partially destroyed property. Thus proving effectually that Niagara, the name of your company, is not by any means a misnomer. To you all, Council extends an unanimous and cordial vote of thanks. W.B. Stewart, Clerk."

Today, Niagara has the same human qualities of intelligence, ingenuity and bravery, while, in addition, it has the finest of equipment, and its history is one to inspire succeeding generations of men of Niagara. It was the destruction of the barn on the estate of Judge John Hanna (north side of Maple Avenue, fourth place west of Alexander) on April 22, 1888, that brought to a head the growing need of our growing town for firefighting equipment manned by trained men, and that brought about the incorporation of Niagara during the administration of Burgess Charles Spangler. At a meeting of Council, May 1, 1888, a report on the fire was made by the Police committee. The day following the Council meeting, May 2, 1888, a meeting of our citizens was held in Merchantville Hall to lay the ground work for the organization of a fire company. The gathering was in answer to a call by former Senator Cattell, whose barn, incidentally was destined to be saved through Niagara's first firefighting action.

The site of the old fire house on the north side of Park Avenue, then owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad was selected at a meeting on May 31, and eventually leased at a nominal rental until its purchase years later. At a meeting on June 5, Council voted to provide $1000 for prevention and suppression of fires, the money to be used for the purchase of equipment. Then on July 3, Council accepted an offer by Niagara Fire Company of Philadelphia to care for and operate the apparatus.

When the fire company was incorporated on July 20, 1888, before Commissioner of Deeds George S. Bush, in the office of Burgess, it as officially designated as "The Niagara Fire Company of Merchantville, NJ". Its name was taken from the old Niagara Hose Company of Philadelphia, which went out of existence as an active company when Philadelphia established a paid department, but which still functioned as a social organization and had become interested in our local fire company through William MacFarlan, formerly one of its members. The first equipment of our Niagara - a four-wheel hose carriage and about 600 feet of leather hose - came from the Philadelphia Company, as did the marble name stone over the entrance to our fire house, and the chief's silver horn, one of the prized possessions of our company.

Above is a picture of our Model T truck from 1916. The original bill of sale is on display at the firehouse. The truck is still in excellent condition and is can be seen on the day of the Merchantville Car Show and Sock Hop. Occasionally we drive it in parades as well.