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Fire Engines

Paul Nelson, Historian
Western Reserve (Cleveland) Fire Museum
310 Carnegie Ave.  Old Station 28
Cleveland, OH 4115
216.664.6312

Museum website is   www.wrfmc.com

     The Western Reserve was part of Connecticut. Newton Falls was part of it.

From Paul Nelson

     "The engine was purchased in 1839 by Dr. J.F. Porter, a physician in Newton Falls, Ohio for use by the community. Newton Falls was a thriving community at that time with a number of small mills and other commercial establishments. There was a falls in Newton Falls, Mahoning River west branch, used for water power and it was located on the Penn & Ohio Canal that connected to the Ohio Canal at Akron. Dr. Porter also served as mayor of the community.

     The engine was named the "Doc Porter" in his honor and was used by townspeople as needed. They did not form a formal fire company. So far there is no information on its use but the fire chief is asking the local library to look into old town records to see if there is any mention of the engine or any fires where it was used in the community. There is no information on how much was paid for the engine since it was a private purchase.

     The engine is in very good condition. There was some sort of art work on the rear panel of the tub (may have been a seal or even a scene but it is illegible). The engine probably had some decorations on it in its original form. All the parts move and are free and clear. The tounge is included but I do not see any indication that there were rope reels, typical of hand drawn engines, on the front of the tub. Both the suction and discharge fittings are in good condition.

     The plan is to move it to our Museum in Cleveland sometime this summer where we will put it on display in our entry hall. Our building, old Station No. 28 and fire alarm dispatch center, is under restoration. We plan to be open weekends in September and October as part of the 150th Anniversary of the full paid Cleveland Fire Department. (Some legal things need to be finalized on the move). They do not have space for it at the firehouse and the library in town has abandoned plans to expand and have space for the engine. It is a nice small engine for display purposes but more important it is one of the oldest hand engines known in northeast Ohio. Canton had one in 1824 and Cleveland had one in 1829 and several more by 1839. I have not been able to find the existence of any other early engines in any town except for Canton and Cleveland. The plan is to leave it as is until we can have a couple of experts in early hand engines look at it to determine whether we should try to remove the paint or try to restore the art work."

The pictures below are from the 1887-8 catalog.

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