A brief history of the Oxford, MA, fire department and the role of the Oxford Firefighters Association, in the preservation of its storied past…
Oxford Fire Department, photo circa 1915
Colonel DeWitt
Colonel DeWitt Hose Company, Barton Street, Oxford, MA,
(retouched photo to approximate original configuration)
Colonel DeWitt Hand Tub (1957 Jeffers pumper) and the Huguenot Steamer (1884 Silsby). The first two fire engines owned and operated by the Town of Oxford Fire Department. (2002 photo)
A Department is Born
The Town of Oxford Fire Department was officially organized in 1856 under the name of the Colonel DeWitt Hose Company. Colonel Alexander DeWitt was a prominent Oxford resident, businessman, and statesman of the day whose family had donated the land on which the first fire barn was constructed. As a show of appreciation for that donation, the Town named the first fire company and its first fire engine after Colonel DeWitt.
For many years, the Town of Oxford was protected by this one fire company, which utilized an 1857 Jeffers Hand Tub (named the Colonel DeWitt) and a 300’ hose reel as the sole means of fire protection for the entire town. Originally, the hand tub fire engine was stored outside on the town common, it was eventually relocated to the newly constructed “fire barn” on the land donated by the DeWitt family.
In the late 1800’s, as Oxford continued to grow and more industry came to town, it was decided to establish a second fire company in the north section of town to provide protection to the residents and the growing number of mills that had been established there. Accordingly, in 1884, the town appropriated money to purchase a Silsby Steamer, 5th size, and constructed a fire station to house it. Known as the Huguenot Steamer No. 1 (named after the French Huguenots who had originally settled Oxford), this fire company served proudly for many years with Silsby Steamer No. 767 in their charge.
Huguenot Steamer No. 1 Fire Station, Main Street, North Oxford, MA. (circa ?)
The Huguenot Steamer No. Fire Station
The original plans to construct a fire barn to house the newly purchase Huguenot Steamer reflected a modest, single story structure suitable for its use as a fire station of the day. However as work began on the station, residents petitioned the Town to include a second floor to serve as a meeting hall for the residents of North Oxford who, up until that time, had been forced to travel the 5 miles to the center of town (to Memorial Hall) whenever a public assembly was called. Accordingly, construction plans were revised and a second story was added to include what came to be known as Huguenot Hall.
Since its original construction, the Station has undergone very few changes, mostly associate to the introduction of motorized apparatus in the 1920’s. These changes included the addition of roll-up doors for the apparatus bays, and a partitioning of the interior space on the first floor for insurance purposes. The station served the Oxford Fire Department and residents of North Oxford until 1975, at which time a new station was constructed across the street.
Vacant.
The Town of Oxford essentially abandoned the building, and it had sat vacant since 1975. In late 1998, the Oxford Firefighters Association began to develop a more ambitious element of its Historic Preservation Project, namely the restoration of the Huguenot Steamer No. 1 Fire Station and its use as a firefighting museum and meeting facility. Early plans were not well received by the Town of Oxford; however, a microburst storm damaged the building in late 1998/early 1999, and an immediate decision had to be made regarding its disposition. After additional presentations, pleas, and planning, the Town of Oxford finally agreed to sell the Huguenot Steamer No. 1 Fire Station to the Oxford Firefighters Association in late 1999 for the sum of $1.00.
The Association established a 6-year restoration plan for the building, culminating with the opening of the fire museum in the summer of 2006, to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the Oxford Fire Department.
Since taking ownership, the Association has secured registration for the Huguenot Steamer No. 1 Fire Station as one of the Ten Most Endangered Historical Resources in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Additionally, the Association has also secured several grants which, along with private donations, have allowed restoration to proceed on schedule.
Huguenot Steamer No. 1 Fire Station, Main Street, North Oxford, MA. (circa 1999)
6-Year Restoration
The Association established a 6-year restoration plan for the building, culminating with the opening of the fire museum in the summer of 2006, to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the Oxford Fire Department.
Since taking ownership, the Association has secured registration for the Huguenot Steamer No. 1 Fire Station as one of the Ten Most Endangered Historical Resources in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Additionally, the Association has also secured several grants which, along with private donations, have allowed restoration to proceed on schedule.
Dressed for the holidays. (photo circa 2002)
The Oxford Firefighters Association
Originally established in 1991 as primarily a fraternal order, the Oxford Firefighters Association was reorganized in mid 1997 with a new charter having three primary elements: Service, Brotherhood, and History. The last of these elements refers to the identification, restoration, and preservation of the historically significant artifacts of the Oxford Fire Department. Among these remaining artifacts is the Colonel DeWitt Hand Tub (the first fire engine ever purchased by the Town of Oxford). Although it is unknown as to when and how The Colonel was taken from the Fire Department, it eventually came to be included as part of the collection of the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA) where it sat in storage for many years. In 1989, the Town of Oxford was contacted and presented with the opportunity to reacquire the hand tub. The Colonel was purchased from SPNEA for the sum of $3,500.00, and has been restored to original condition, down to the twin lanterns which adorn the front of the engine.
Another historic artifact, the Huguenot Steamer itself, was also shrouded in some secrecy, as it is unknown as to how and when it left Oxford. The only record of note was made in the 1944 Town of Oxford annual report where it was voted to allow the Board of Selectmen to sell the Steamer off; however, no record of an actual sale can be found. In more recent years, the Steamer was discovered in the collection of the New England Fire and History Museum in Brewster, MA. Discussions with representatives of that facility indicated that the Steamer might have found its way to a private collection in New Jersey, prior to its stay in Brewster. Early inquiries in the mid 1990’s by the Oxford Fire Department relative to the reacquisition of the Huguenot Steamer were not met with much success, as the owners of the NEFH Museum utilized it as the centerpiece of their collection and were reluctant to part with the engine.
Meanwhile, the efforts of the Oxford Firefighters Association were noted by the Oxford Fire Department which cited the restoration of the Huguenot Steamer No. 1 Fire Station as additional justification for bringing the Huguenot Steamer back home.
After repeated inquiries with representatives of the NEFH Museum in Brewster, it was learned that the Museum did not plan to open for the 2001 season, as the primary owner had passed away, and the family had no desire to operate the facility. For this reason, the Town of Oxford was finally afforded the opportunity to purchase the Steamer, and return it home. Independent appraisals were subsequently performed, and in late 2001, at the Town of Oxford annual meeting, voters approved an article to expend $52,000.00 to reacquire the engine. Finally, in March of 2002 a contingent from the Oxford Firefighters Association and Oxford Fire Department traveled to Brewster to retrieve the Steamer.
For more details on the Colonel DeWitt Hand Tub and the Huguenot Steamer, please see the attached Apparatus Description Sheets.
An inauguration ceremony was held on 29 July 2006 to formally install the Colonel DeWitt and the Huguenot Steamer into the fire museum.
