This is a history written by Ed. Schaeffer back in 1969. I have changed nothing, leaving it in its entirety for this website.

HISTORY OF PALMYRA FIRE DEPARTMENT
FORWARD

Palmyra arriving its 150th anniversary in 1969, and the volunteer
Fire Department its 73rd anniversary, and having been a member
more than 2/3 of this time, and apparently having a good memory,
I am taking it upon myself to write a short article about the
early days of the Fire Department so that sometime in the future
posterity and future generations may get some knowledge of the
past ways of firefighting, possibly sometime in the future someone
will want to add to this article.

Some incidents not exactly connected to the fire department also,
are included but may be of interest to some future citizens.

Records of fires in the early years were not kept, but now all
fires are recorded in the secretary's minute book which in the
course of time may be interesting to some folks interested in
history.

Written by Ed. J. Schaeffer
March 1969

This area later to be known as Palmyra centered by what is
known as Big Spring, a covered wagon owned by a Vanlandingham
family came by this way and camped at the spring, decided to locate;
folks of those times selected sites where water and timber were
plentiful, and game was in abundance.

Soon others began to settle here, too, Virginians and Kentuckians
and others with their slaves. Log cabins were built, a town was
being established.

An application for a City charter was made in 1819. The charter
was granted and in this year the community became PALMYRA-THE CITY
OF FLOWERS. The ladies of the community must have been interested
in beautification already at that early time.

Through the 1840's and 50's an influx of Germans came to this
community, they came as tradesmen, carpenters, masons, weavers,
cabinet makers, men with some education, they could read and write.
Few of the settlers ahead of them could read or write, had little
ability. Slaves also had little ability, they could use a hoe or
an axe, but could do little else.
At those times, as present, carelessness was the greatest cause
of fire. The houses were heated by fireplaces. The roofs were either
shakes or wood shingles and when weather-beaten became frayed and
fuzzy and easy prey to sparks from the fireplace.

Palmyra was not a city very long, about 40 years, when the terrible
Civil War with its horrors, which cannot be forgotten or soothed, was
declared and the majority of the citizens chose to be traitorous to
this great nation--the greatest nation the sun has ever shone on. The
Federal Government had put militia in the community to keep loyal
citizens protected and to keep order.

In the year of 1885, the spring had the stone work put in which is
still there. It was put in by the Englehardts, local masons.
1885 was the same year my father J. F. W. Schaeffer started a black-
smith shop on North Dickerson Street.
In 1888 the power house was built with a steam engine and steam pump
for the water system.
The spring furnished water for a reservoir north of the power plant,
on the corner of Bradley and Water Streets was another reservoir
furnished by a spring two blocks north, the idea was to have self-
filtering reservoirs.
The power and water system was put in by a private enterprise. Later
the demand for water was more than the springs would furnish. A pipe
was put in North River with a steam pump located near.
In 1896 a volunteer fire department was organized by some public-
minded and community-spirited men. The names in order as recorded
in the first minutes book as follows: John Miller, J. G. Berghofer,
Ed Schneider, Frank Menge, Jack Heilman, Wm. Barton, R. Foster, M.
Windsor, A. Baker, Frank Bernhardt and H. Baker. J. G. Berghofer was
secretary. The minutes made no records of fires.
IF it so happens it has been my pleasure to have served with some of these
first members, some having served for many years; they were loyal and
dedicated firemen.
All of the original firemen have gone on--wither and decay have taken
the best that has been produced but time not only stands for whither
and decay but also for growth and advancement. In the twinkle of an
eye from the time a man is born he has already joined two hearts to
beat through life unto higher ideals and a nobler object, and in a
short time become a replacement for someone that has gone on.
One of the early big fires was that of Col. Christian Happel's packing
house at the east edge of town. At the time the stand pipe stood in
Main Street about in front of where Sutton's Garage now stands. At
that time when additional water pressure was desired, as in the case
of a fire, the valve at the stand pipe would be closed and pumping was
direct into the mains.
The power plant kept a pair of mules and farm wagon for hauling coal
from the depot to the power house; this night the mules were hitched
to the wagon and galloped to the stand pipe, the valve was closed off,
pumping was direct into the mains. It so happened an energetic engineer
was on duty, he ran the pump at high speed the pressure went high---too
high and a section of mains was blown out of the ground and all the
water was lost, the packing house was a complete loss to be
rebuilt.
At that time hearts, livers, heads, feet and all offal was thrown in
the branch. Only shoulders, bacon and hams were saved and packed.
Many citizens would take baskets and take scrapmeat to their homes.
As mentioned Mr. Happel was a Colonel. Having come from
Germany he could read and write in German, but being an intelligent
man he soon mastered the English language and having had military
training, made him attain the rank of Colonel in the Union army.
His son Raymond and George Diemer did the gutting in the packing
plant. Raymond's reputation was that he could gut a hog a minute. He
was a giant man, about 6 feet 2 inches and well built. He went by
the nickname of "Sullivan". His partner George Diemer went by the
nickname of "Ginger". Sullivan received his nickname from the prize-
fighter John L. Sullivan and could easily have taken to the ring.
Sullivan and Ginger were paid an extra 5? per hour above the rest of
the help on account of their abilities. They were paid $1.50 per day
or 15? per hour, the rest of the crew were paid $1.00 per day, or 10?
per hour.
One day the two decided to form a union. They decided they would demand
20? per hour or they would strike. They flipped a half dollar to see
who would deliver the message and the chore fell to Sullivan. He went
to see his father and told him what had been decided by the two. The
Colonel was a man of few words--his words were always final. He studied
a minute and answered, "From now on you get $1.00 per day and you can't
strike". The strike was settled, both men went back to work, slightly
sullen but both went back to their jobs.
There is no mention of a Fire Chief until the appointment of J. C.
Daume. He served until the year 1954. He was a dedicated fireman
and took a great interest in the fire department.
At a fire on the corner of North and Spring Streets a log cabin was
afire which was occupied by a colored family. The mother threw her
arms around the chief and said, "Mr. Daume, save my house, save my
house". She was giving him a good hug. Chief Daume yelled at her,
"For God's sake let go of me so I can save your house". I will give
measurements of her as well as I remember--she was not very tall, but
made up in width what she lacked in height, a guess at her height is
5 feet, the rest of the measurements 46-44-42, I haven't missed far,
a real buxom lady.
The equipment up to this time consisted of a two-wheeled hose cart
drawn by hand and a four wheeled ladder wagon equipped with several
ladders, pikepoles and rubber buckets. Pikepoles were made of oak
saplings, with the butt end about 4" in diameter, about 12' long, really
a four-man pole with extra heavy rings and hooks. Ladders also were
heavy. At the corner of Main and Lafayette Streets diagonal from
the courthouse there was a porch to the upper story, under this porch
ladders, rubber buckets and pikepoles were kept on a rack. All
stores and residences had cisterns and at fires brigades were soon
gotten up to carry water from various cisterns.
As time passed on motorization came along. The need for a truck
became very necessary. . . this was in the year 1920. The City
finances at the time were low peak. So under the sponsorship of
Russell Fogle committees were appointed to canvass the town to solicit
funds to buy a Model T truck. The solicitations went over well and
a Ford truck was bought, equipped with a 40-gallon chemical tank. This
was the pride of firemen and the citizens. It happened to have been
my pleasure to be the first driver; quite a few gathered to see the
truck roll down the unloading planks at the depot. As it came down
Main Street citizens would gather just to get on the rear step and
admire the addition to the fire equipment. This sure was the "new
baby". At the time it was considered to be the height in firefighting
equipment. Nothing would or could ever be produced to be better. But
alas! fire equipment was in its infancy, growth and advancement did
not stop. This Model T was used several years, then replaced by an
International. The equipment was transferred to this truck from the
Model T by a local firm, J. A. Menge & Co., of which Chief Daume was
a member. Later a frontend pump was mounted so pumping could be done
from bodies of water, but this truck was slow and became obsolete and
a more modern truck was in demand.
The Model T was given to the Light and Water Department. The Inter-
national was sold to Sylvester Howard.
The next truck was a V-8 Ford equipped with a 400-gallon booster tank
and pump. This truck which had good speed was used often for rural
fires to which the party that had the fire usually said, "It was nice
of you to come out and many thanks".
In a course of time calls came more regular and on a certain day two
calls in one day caused the citizens to start thinking and had them
questioning the Mayor and Council whether insurance was in force in
case of fire and the truck was out of town. There was only one truck
at the time. At council meeting it was ruled the truck had to stay
in town. Soon after a barn burned north of town. A call came in, but
the truck could not leave town.
After this several of the community called a meeting to see if it would
be possible or practical to buy a truck for rural service manned by the
Palmyra firemen and paid for by selling shares of $100.00 with members
getting their fire calls free for 10 years and non-members being charged
$50.00 per run or hour and $25.00 for each additional hour.
Vaden Sutton was one of the promoters of this project which came out
very satisfactorily all the way around. This was in 1949. This truck
cost $15,000.00 and was built by Fire Fighters Equipment Co. on a Ford
chassis with a 600-gallon booster tank. this truck was supposed to serve
rural folks for 10 years, but 10 years lapsed so quickly most folks hadn't
noticed it was gone.
The next truck for the rural runs was bought in January, 1963. It was
mounted on a Ford chassis with 800-gallon booster tank. The first run
was to the home of Harold Becker on the corner of Thompson Avenue and
West Line Street. This truck cost $18,000.00 with $12,000.00 being
raised by the rural members and the City paying $6,000.00. This was
equipped by Central Fire Equipment Company. This is the main truck in
this year of 1969.
The directors of the rural association were Leo Bross, Herb Disselhorst
and H. L. Wagner with Donald Bestman as treasurer and secretary. But
in the year 1968 Leo Bross received his call to the Beyond. This was
quite a loss to the community. Leo Bross was a man of outstanding
judgment and ability. His loss was felt immensely. His funeral was
one attended by one of the largest number most ever held in Palmyra.
Harold Keller was elected to replace him as director.
The members of the Palmyra Fire Department according to seniority at
present are as follows: Russell Fogle, Ed. J. Schaeffer, Clint Dodd,
Lester West, Vaden Sutton, Mose Burkhardt, Ralph Donelson, Harold Ragar,
Chester Haydon, Lawrence Wellman, Russell Meyer, James Boettcher, Corbyn
Jacobs, Charles Myers, Lloyd Schneider and Charles Hoehne.
Lloyd Schneider is the third generation to have been a member of the
department. His father Lloyd and his grandfather Ed were members of
the department. Grandfather Ed Schneider was one of the original first
members.
Of the present firemen only two remain of the "Old Handcart Times",
Russell Fogle and myself. All of the rest have joined since the motori-
zation came about.
The firemen meet on the first floor of the old City Hall, have a kitchen
where snacks or a meal is occasionally prepared. Meeting night is the
evening of the first Friday of the month. A committee is appointed of
Three men to inspect trucks for a month to assure everything is in readi-
ness for a quick getaway. Rural runs outnumber city runs about 6 to 1.
Rural share owners have less calls than non-members which evidently
shows they are more fire conscious and careful.
As already stated carelessness has been the cause of many fires, suck
as throwing cigarettes out of windows and smoking in bed which has
brought the truck to several places where human lives have been lost.
Vandals have set fires and broken windshields and glass out of the
cars and buildings. They do not realize how stupid they are. This
only raises insurance rates and all may some day be in market for
insurance.
In conclusion, having already written more than I had intended in
the first place, I hope and pray Providence will be gracious in the
future as has been in the past and bless and protect the firemen and
City.
If my services and efforts have been a benefit in any way in saving
a life or property I will consider myself compensated and well repaid.

Ed. J. Schaeffer
March 1969