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THE KENILWORTH
VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY No.1, INC. |
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“The Kenilworth Driving Park flourished during 1905-1908. This
interesting and stirring amusement Park was located on what is now the
East side of Montrose Avenue in the Southwest section of the Town Of Tonawanda. The park and race course included all
that parcel of land which was later purchased and subdivided by J. G.
Satler and which now contains Grandview, Hawthorne, University, Lyndale,
Kenilworth, Ford and Paige Avenues - which is still known in part as
Kenilworth Park, “Duck Town.”
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In the year 1919 a group of men met in a house in
this district and founded the Kenilworth Volunteer Fire Company No. 1,
Incorporated. |
A charter for the Fire Company was applied for in
that year and, after being returned twice by the State for more
information, was received in 1920. And SO WAS BORN the Kenilworth Fire
District: |
A
donated hose cart was our first piece of fire fighting equipment and it
was kept parked in front of the old Kenilworth Inn. In winter, it had to
be dug out of the snow and pushed or pulled to a fire. The first alarms
were sounded by cranking a hand siren kept in Haygarth's store located on
the southeast corner of Kenilworth Avenue and Hawthorne Avenue. |
Christian Lang, the first Chief and a
carpenter-contractor secured a note for $3000.00 from a lumber company and
erected the original quarters of the Fire Company at 66 Hawthorne Avenue.
The payments on the note were not met promptly and the Fire Company
officers were taken to court. A young lawyer, Frank C. Moore, later
Lieutenant Governor of the State of New York, interceded. and the Fire
Company was given more time. Through fund raising activities, this note
was finally paid off. Field days were begun in 1920 with as many as 1000
people attending from surrounding fire districts. |
Housed in this frame building was the first mechanized piece of apparatus,
a REO truck chassis purchased for $1100.00, on which chemical tanks were
installed. Fire tax at that time was around $54.00 per $1000.00. |
The Board of Fire Commissioners for this District
#2 held their first regular meeting on June 30, 1922 in the frame fire
hall. This first board was comprised of John Kullman, Chairman; John
Caplick, Secretary; Gibson Fenton, Treasurer; Albert Obenauer, Joseph
Weisner and Frank Miller. |
Much of what has been accomplished her in District #2 not only
firemattically, but socially as well – has been due largely (then, as
well as throughout the years and now) to the unselfish efforts of those
men who have served and are now serving in this capacity. “Fire
Commissioner” is an unpaid elective office; they must conform to all
regulations under the State law. |
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