It’s time again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society. The Whitewater Fire Department has been in the news lately, so enjoy this photo of the department taken some time in the 1920s. The department is lined up with its all-motorized equipment at the rear of the old city hall where the department was located.

The Whitewater Fire Department started as a volunteer organization in the fall of 1871 and had a small fire house on Whitewater Street that included a water wheel and pump to get water to fight fires from Cravath Lake. After 1889, when the water system was installed, fire hydrants provided the water to fight fires. Equipment was still horse-drawn and included a steam-powered pumper. In 1900, the fire department was housed in the new city hall and in 1915, the first truck was purchased, soon followed by another truck and pumper truck. These three vehicles are seen in this photograph.

Join us again next week for more from the Whitewater Historical Society.

(3816P, Whitewater Historical Society)