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 July 24-25, 2009 - Claverack, NY 
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 1945 Mack Pumper Second truck ever purchased by the A.B. Shaw Fire Company Cost - less then $5000! | ||
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The A. B. Shaw Fire Company started to get organized in 1925 which was a couple of years after Albert Bristol Shaw came up with the idea that the community needed a fire company. They originally wanted to call it the A. B. Shaw Chemical Company but when it was actually formed in early 1926, they changed the name to A. B. Shaw Volunteer Fire Company. Albert Bristol Shaw lived on Maple Avenue in the hamlet of Claverack, NY. He was a bookkeeper of the Bristol Brothers Company which was next door to his residence and was well known as the local Notary Public. Unfortunately, Mr. Shaw would die in 1923 at the young age of 43 years old and was never actually a member. Because of his leadership and support of the concept, the 75 original charter members honored his commitment and memory by officially naming it after him. In its infancy, the A. B. Shaw Fire Company was just a bucket brigade with a horse cart that was kept in a barn on the Roscoe Williams farm. The farm was on route 23B west of the intersection behind the Trinity Church. The first official fire house was in a barn on route 23 east of the intersection which was rented from Katherine Stiffel for 12 years until they were able to build a real fire house. Katherine was the grandmother of Mark A. Duntz who was an active member and a future chief. Bob Cole previously used the barn for a watermelon rind factory. On July 20, 1926, the legal voters in the Claverack fire district elected the first fire commissioners. The commissioners then held their first meeting six days later on July 26, 1926 and resolved to organize a fire company and appoint the first fireman not exceeding 75 members. The first women’s auxiliary was organized on March 9, 1944 with 44 charter members and Marion Cook was the first president. The Town of Claverack provided $8,000 to get the fire company up and running. The 75 charter members were able to purchase all the equipment that they would need which included the purchase of the first piece of apparatus. It was a Sanford Triple Combination tanker/pumper that carried 225 gallons of water. The first fire alarm system was an old steel wheel that was taken from a railroad locomotive. It was hung from a tree in front of the firehouse with a sledge hammer underneath. To report a fire, you just banged on the wheel with the sledge hammer and when the firemen heard the clanging, they would respond. This wheel was later moved to the park near the intersection of 9H & 23. The local youth couldn’t resist the urge to occasionally clang the wheel at night resulting in the first “false alarms”. The next alarm system was an electronic siren that was activated by buttons that were located at Cook’s General Store and the Cook residence on Maple Avenue which were two doors away from the former residence of Albert B. Shaw. To report a fire, you would call Mrs. Marion Cook (she would become the first women’s auxiliary president) at the store and she would push the button for the alarm. A second button was installed at Mort Hallenbeck’s house (Mort was the company’s third Chief). The alarm was tested every morning except Sunday at 8:00 AM sharp. Today all calls are dispatched thru the Columbia County 911 emergency system. On January 11, 1937 land was purchased at the current location on route 9H from Albert Crane Bristol for $800. In 1938 the original two bay section of the firehouse was built on this property. It was partially funded with government WPA money and the Town of Claverack kicked in another $6,500. On October 4, 1967, additional land was bought adjacent to the fire house from Helen Ludlum for $6,500. There was a house on the property which was sold to Norman Merritt for $1.00. He moved it to route 23 just east of the intersection. In 1970 a three bay addition was added with banquet facilities downstairs. The shell of the building cost $50,000 and the firemen completed the interior work. When this addition was completed, the old original truck room was converted to the current meeting room. In 1991 a large one-bay addition at a cost of $107,000 was attached to accommodate the newer larger trucks. The second fire truck was an open-cab 1945 Mack pumper that carried 250 gallons of water and a 500 GPM pump. The cost for this truck was under $5,000 and the commissioners declined an option to put a top on the cab for an additional $200. As part of the deal the Sanford pumper was sold to the Mack-International Motor Truck Corp. for $600. Today the “Old Mack” is still used for parades and other public events. Every time we get caught in a rain storm we regret the commissioner’s decision to not install the top on this truck. A couple of times the passenger had to hold an umbrella over the driver while returning home from a parade. This truck was built in 1944 during World War II. At the time, all brass and copper was supposed to go to the war effort. Since the truck was already built with these parts, the manufacturer just painted everything red. The fire company stripped the paint off in later years. Our third truck was a 1956 International chassis that cost $8,000 with a custom made body that had a 500 GPM pump. Today there are five vehicles in service: a 1993 Ford F350 wheel coach that was a former ambulance and now is used by our EMS First Responders and Fire Police, a 1974 International 4WD pickup/utility truck that serves as our brush truck and carries 275 gallons of water, a 1991 International/4 Guys Tank Truck that carries 2000 gallons of water, a 1991 Spartan/3D Pumper that carries 1000 gallons of water and a 2000 E-One Rescue Pumper that carries 500 gallons of water, 30 gallons of foam, a compressed air foam system (CAFS) as well as a full complement of hydraulic extrication tools. These five trucks carry a total of 3,775 gallons of water plus we now have a water district with fire hydrants in the western half of the hamlet. While water supply is not a big problem today, back in 1926 the one truck only carried 225 gallons of water, so the fire district had to seek other water sources. This was accomplished by building cisterns and ponds in the hamlet. Cisterns were built at the following locations: July 9, 1938 on the L. Elliott Bristol property on Maple Avenue, September 14, 1940 on the Margaret E. Thompson property on Pine Street, 1945 on the William T. McCall property on route 23B across from Webb Road, and April 4, 1946 on the Azro H. Miller property at Red Mills on route 23. On March 28, 1946 a dam was built on the drainage of the Laura Moore property on route 23 by the old blacksmith shop to create a pond. Another dam was built on the same drainage on route 23/9H south of the intersection behind Mort Hallenbeck’s house. The first chief was Aaron Van Vleck and there have been 15 different chiefs from 1926 to the present. They are in order after Van Vleck: Henry Loomis, Mort Hallenbeck, Walt Swartz, Mark A. Duntz, George Dixon, Hugh Dickenson, Leon Cook, Jim Van Deusen, Jim Davis, George Keeler, Paul Chaikowski, Peter Hotaling, Ned Keeler, and currently Brennan Keeler. Some of the chiefs have served multiple terms at different times. The A. B. Shaw Fire Company became a member of the Hudson Valley Volunteer Firemen’s Association on May 27, 1926 and also became a member that year of the Columbia County Volunteer Firemen’s Association which was just formed. They joined the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York on May 12, 1928 and became incorporated by the state on July 25, 1931. The A. B. Shaw Fire Company hosted the 15th Annual Columbia County Firemen’s Convention on July 26-27, 1940 in the hamlet. That year the parade had 2000 marchers with the Fort Crailo American Legion band and drum corps leading the host company. This year the Columbia and District Pipe Band will be leading A. B. Shaw. Except for the record breaking heat that day, the only incident was when the horse that Sheriff Milton V. Saulpaugh was to ride in the parade slipped away while grazing and was found several hours later in Livingston. This year, Sheriff David W. Harrison, Jr. will not be riding a horse. (Although you never know!) Today, more than 80 years after the first alarm, the A. B. Shaw Fire Company continues the tradition of neighbors helping neighbors. We strive every day to provide the best fire protection and emergency medical care possible to the residents of our district and visitors who pass through. - Written by Sal Cozzolino | ||
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