Dunnstown Fire Company celebrates 75 years

Publisher2 weeks ago

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By Christopher Miller

DUNNSTOWN, PA – On the eve of the Dunnstown Fire Company’s 75th anniversary celebration, The Record was able to dig up some interesting bits of history related to the fire company and its founding back in 1949.

On October 12, 1949 a meeting was held at Roller’s Green House in Dunnstown to discuss the need to form a fire company for the Woodward Township area.

“Organization details were presented to 30 men who attended the meeting at Roller’s Green House. Pfc. Ray Anderson, fire marshal, attached to the state police in Williamsport, and Fire Chief A. E. Eschenbach, of Loyalsock Fire Company, were speakers. Temporary officers are John P. Roller, president; Oscar P. Kreamer, Jr., vice president; Stewart Hartman, recording secretary; Carroll Johnson, financial secretary, and Harry Liem, treasurer. The new fire company will hold business meetings the first Monday of each month,” the article reported.

It only took four years plus a day for the new fire company to pay off their mortgage loan and they celebrated that achievement in true fire company style: by burning the mortgage.

One Fire Dunnstown Volunteers Like To See
“The four-year mortgage of the Dunnstown Fire Co. was consumed by intentional flames last evening when the volunteers celebrated retirement of the debt. Watching with pleasure, Hans Fritz, treasurer; L. L. Packer, financial secretary; Thomas Aiken, president, Fred Mayer, director; Edgar Essenbaugh, Loyalsock fire chief, who gave a talk on fire fighting, Oscar Gray, vice president; and Burton Nearhood, corresponding secretary.”

Fast-forward ten years and a more comprehensive history and incorporation story was presented at an anniversary banquet held on October 13, 1959 at the Fallon Hotel.

“130 members and guests dined at the Fallon Hotel and enjoyed prideful reminiscences of what they have accomplished,” the article reported.

“Allen Lugg spoke on history of volunteer firefighting from the first fire company organized in Philadelphia in Ben Franklin’s day, Morton Fromm spoke, who incorporated the company and donated his legal services to get it started, and Earl N. Harnish spoke, who sketched the highlights of the company’s activities since it was launched in John Roller’s greenhouse Oct. 12, 1949.”

The reporter at the time also mentioned that many guests were wives of firefighters who took a keen interest in the community activities centered around the fire house.

“The current (1959) firehouse houses the modern pumper and the 1,200 gallon tanker which are major items of the Dunnstown firemen’s fire fighting equipment,” the story went on to mention.

Historical highlights from the banquet were outlined below:

Fromm had with him the original receipted bill which he had sent to the company after completing the legal formalities for incorporating the new fire company, on it he had written “good wishes for success.”
Lugg mentioned the rapid progress of the Dunnstown fire company and commended them particularly for the fact that they acquired their hose house and their equipment without official help; the only governmental aid they had received was through the Civil Defense organization.
Mr. Harnish prepared a full and complete resumé of the major events of the past ten years, recalling that the organization meeting was attended by 30 men, including representatives of the state police and state fire marshal’s office, Fred Mayer put up the $50 for initial expenses and John Roller provided cider and doughnuts. The original name was suggested as the Woodward Fire Company, later Dunnstown Fire Company was adopted, with members voting down the alternative names of Constitution and Great Island, when it was learned that the name of Woodward was used elsewhere.
In February 1950, the second meeting took place at the Gibson Wise motorcycle shop, where the question of buying a plot of land for a fire station was brought up.
In March, permanent officers were elected and a treasurer’s report showed more than $800 in the bank.
The first site was bought from Mr. Roller in May 1950 for $1,500 and the company authorized a building 70 feet long and 35 or 40 feet wide. Later the company borrowed money for its building project; on November 13 the first meeting was held in the new structure.
In 1951, the Hand-in-Hand Hose Company presented the Dunnstown men with the uniforms formerly worn by the Hands and the company joined the Clinton County Firemen’s Association
In 1952 the fire company made its first major community gesture by offering the fire house as a shelter in time of flood.

From its humble inception over cider and doughnuts in a local green house, to a powerhouse of volunteer firefighting might today, Dunnstown Fire Company has seen many a fire and many a reason to celebrate in its past 75 years.

Here’s to another 75, Dunnstown. Cheers!