The History of Eagle Hose
Eagle Hose & Hook & Ladder Company 6
Serving the Citizens of Ansonia Since 1871
If we were to record the entire
history of Eagle Hose Co. 6, we would fill volumes of pages.
Listed below are just some of the important historical facts
related to our Company.
Company History
A fire, which occurred in the opera house block on Main
Street in 1871, brought about the need to organize some form
of fire protection. On August 24th of that same
year, a few prominent young men of the borough of Ansonia
met in the Ansonia Opera House and took matters into their
own hands and organized this city’s first fire department.
The plan originally intended for this new firefighting
organization to be called the Ansonia Fire Company #1.
This plan soon changed when a committee, tasked with finding
suitable apparatus, located a parade carriage and hose wagon
in Newark, N.J. The
parade carriage bore the inscription
“Eagle Hose Co. No. 6”. When it was discovered that these
items, along with 50 ft. of hose, could be purchased for a
rather modest price, a deal was made. Soon after the wagon
and carriage arrived in Ansonia, the members of this newly
formed fire company realized that to remove these
inscriptions on the carriage would be difficult. Rather than
risk destroying the beauty of the carriage, the membership
voted to change the company name to match that of the
carriage. This same parade carriage remains in the Company’s
possession today.
In June of 1879, the Company added a
hook and ladder cart. The name of the Company was then
changed to “Eagle Hose & Hook & Ladder Co. No. 6”. The name
has remained ever since, and Eagle Hose bears the
distinction of being the only firefighting company named
after a parade carriage.
The Company’s original membership consisted of 25 members.
The first Captain of the Company was F.L. Clemens. Serving
with him were E.A. Wadhams, first assistant; William Powe,
second assistant, and J.H. Hall, secretary.
Other notable members in history include Ansonia’s first
mayor, Arthur H. Bartholomew, who also served as captain of
Eagle Hose in 1902-03. Franklin Burton and Lockwood
Hotchkiss, both Ansonia mayors, served the citizens of
Ansonia as members of Eagle Hose prior to their political
careers. Alton Farrel was a social member of the Company
when he was elected mayor. Many men from all walks of life
have made valuable contributions to Company 6 and the
citizens of Ansonia and continue to do so to this day.
Locations of Company 6
Our present home is located at the corner of Main and East
Main Streets. This two-story brick hose house came to be
occupied by the Company in July of 1904.
The first hose house of the Company was located at the
junction of Liberty Street and North Main Street, at First
Street. In April of 1879, the company moved to a location on
Main Street, just south of our present-day location.
Apparatus History
From the company’s inception in 1871, and up until 1914, the
Eagles used manpower and horses to pull their apparatus to
fire calls.
Going to fires in the old days was much different than it is
today. There was a time when there were no paved streets,
and even Main Street was a dirt road when the Eagles were
organized. These dirt roads would turn to mud in the spring.
Old time members would pull two wheel hose jumpers through
the mud and up hills in all sorts of weather while
responding to the call of duty.
The old ladder trucks also required a great deal of energy
and strength from the firefighters. The ladders that were
carried on these trucks were quite heavy and long. Even the
shortest ladders required a great deal of exertion to lift
the ladder from the truck and raise it against a building.
In 1914, the first motorized apparatus was purchased by the
City of Ansonia and it was placed in service at Eagle Hose.
The Maxim Motor Company built the new truck, and it was
powered by a 6-cylinder engine that produced 91hP. This
truck was equipped with a 45-gallon chemical tank, 1500 feet
of hose, a 25-foot extension ladder, two hand extinguishers,
and various hand tools.
In 1916, the City purchased a motorized ladder truck from
the Seagrave Fire Apparatus Company. This truck replaced the
horse-drawn ladder truck. It was painted red and had gold
leaf lettering. A 6-cylinder engine that produced 125hP
powered this vehicle.
More Apparatus History:
1924: Seagrave Chemical Pumper replaces 1914 Maxim Chemical
Pumper
1947: Seagrave 67-foor aerial Ladder Truck replaces 1916
Seagrave Ladder
1951: Seagrave Pumper replaces 1924 Seagrave Chemical Pumper
1968: Seagrave 100-foot aerial Ladder Truck replaces 1947
Seagrave Ladder
1971: Maxim 1250 GPM Single Stage Pumper replaces 1951
Seagrave Pumper
1981: American LaFrance 100-foot aerial Ladder Truck
replaces 1968 Seagrave Ladder
1992: Pierce 1250 GPM Lance Single Stage Pumper replaces
1971 Maxim Pumper
2006: Pierce 95-foot Mid-Mount Tower replaces 1981 American
LaFrance Ladder.
Parade Trophies
Eagle Hose is known inside Ansonia for its years of
firefighting service. Outside of Ansonia the Company is
known for appearance in various parades throughout the
region.
The trophies won by the Company in parades throughout the
years are on display at the firehouse. The Eagles have been
awarded prizes for drilling and appearance in cities, such
as: North Adams, MA; Port Chester N.Y.; Alexandria, VA;
Manchester, N.H.; New London; New Haven; Danbury; Stamford;
West Haven; Seymour and Naugatuck.
Uniform History
The Eagles have marched in many parades throughout
our illustrious history. One of our more distinctive
features, other than our famous parade carriage, is
our uniform. The Eagle Hose marching uniform has
remained largely unchanged since the Company was
organized in 1871. The parade dress consists of a
blue coat and cap, white trousers and brown leggins.
The Canal Room
The basement of Eagle Hose is known as the Canal Room. When
our present firehouse was built in 1904, it was constructed
over a canal, which was used to provide waterpower to the
various factories in the area. As the use of electricity
became more prominent, the canal was no longer needed. This
left a vacancy under the hose house.
In 1941, the Eagles decided to utilize this space. Leslie
Gardner and Edward Leggo organized this remodeling project.
The members of the Company spent months removing dirt and
stone from underneath the building. Through sheer hard work
they transformed what seemed to be useless space into a
beautiful room for all members to enjoy.
The Canal Room has been used to host many of the social
gatherings that the Eagles have enjoyed over the years.
Special events, such as the Past Captain and Old Timers
Night, the Annual Children’s Christmas Party, and other such
notable gatherings have taken place in this room through
which water once ran.
The Canal Room also serves as a museum of history for the
Company. Its walls are adorned with photographs of every
major fire in Ansonia. There are also display cases that
commemorate important events in our Company’s history. The
memorabilia on display in the Canal Room is a fire museum in
and of itself.
The Blackman War Eagle
(located on the top of the firehouse)
Resting atop the firehouse is the Blackman War Eagle; a part
of Ansonia’s history which dates back to the Civil War days.
The eagle is made of heavy sheet metal and tin. It weighs 50
pounds and is 5 feet in length. The eagle was made by a man
named John Carr in 1859.
Tradition has it that Carr was employed at the Black
Building, which was owned by a man named Blackman (his first
name is not known). Blackman liked the eagle and he placed
it on the top of his building, which was located at Main and
Bridge Streets. Perched atop this building, the eagle would
indicate wind direction to the citizens of Ansonia, as it
acts much like a weathervane.
The eagle was intended to serve as a peace emblem during the
Civil War. There is an inscription across the four-foot
wingspan, which reads:
“Victory to the Peacemakers, Now and Forever”
Eventually, a man named Henry Kornblut came to possess the
eagle. In 1904, Mr. Kornblut presented the eagle as a gift
to the firehouse. Eagle Hose was hosting a fair in April of
that year, and they were attempting raise money to furnish
the new hose house, and purchase new uniforms when
they were presented with this gift. The eagle has remained
atop our firehouse since that time.
