One of Weehawken’s oldest institutions is being honored with an exhibit at the library opening next week. The Weehawken Fire Department, which opened its first hose company in 1883, served the township for over 140 years before merging with other north Hudson County communities to form the North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue (NHRFR) in 1999.
With a total of four hose companies serving different neighborhoods for well over a century, the department was influential in the development of the township. According to NHRFR fire captain Willie Demontreux, the department’s roots almost go back to the incorporation of the township in 1859.
“It’s a tough job to put out a fire with a bucket brigade.” – Willie Demontreux
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“You had fires being put out with buckets during this time,” Demontreux said. “It’s a tough job to put out a fire with a bucket brigade.” His presentation covers the entire history of the Weehawken Fire Department and begins at 7 p.m. on Sept. 21.
“We have four different cabinets for the four firehouses, with beautiful photos from the 1800s,” Demontreux said. “There’s a lot of great memorabilia too.”
The exhibit also includes an old-fashioned horn, a fireman’s ax, a bell cap, a duty uniform shirt, and a complete roster of all the firemen who served during the years 1935, 1976, and 1998. Demontreux said that it is still important to remember the old Weehawken Fire Department in the 21st century.
“There are still a lot of ex-members of the department,” Demontreux said. “And the Weehawken Relief Fireman Association is really a huge help to some of the ex-firemen.”
Where it all began
Before five of northern Hudson County’s fire companies combined to form the North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue (NHRFR), Weehawken had four of its own fire companies. Some of the buildings that housed the companies still stand today – like the one used by the NHRFR, at 4610 Park Ave. near 47th Street, which still reads Baldwin Hose Company No. 1 on the building.
When the historic Hackensack Water Tower opened in 1863, the township installed fire hydrants that eventually led to the first hose company opening in the 1880s. According to the book “Weehawken” by Lauren Sherman and Ellen Robb Gaulkin of the Weehawken Historical Commission, the very first fire company, established in 1883, was the Baldwin Hose Company No. 1, named after the president of the National Stockyard Company Aaron Baldwin. With Baldwin’s contributions, the company purchased its first piece of equipment – a used hand-drawn hose cart. The cart would be dragged to a fire and hooked up to the nearest hydrant. The company took up residence on the old Hudson Boulevard East, before moving to Willow Avenue.
Some of the buildings that housed the companies still stand.
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Located where Old Glory Park is today, the Clifton House Company No. 3 served the developing north end of town beginning 1897. In the early 1900s, they moved to a building on Park Avenue, which is still in use today by the NHRFR.
The bell from Weehawken’s fourth company, the Highwood Hose Company No. 4, can still be seen on display near the soldier’s and sailor’s monument in Hamilton Park on Boulevard East. Established in 1900, the company remained in use until the late 1960s, when the company disbanded and the building was sold to make way for private homes.
The exhibit runs through September at the Weehawken Free Public Library. A presentation will be given at 7 p.m. on Sept. 21. For more information, please call (201) 863-7823.
Sean Allocca can be reached at editorial@hudsonreporter.com