Stories from the History of Nashua’s Police and Fire-Rescue Departments.
In the 1879 annual City Report, City Marshal William Clough once again thanked the efforts of city temperance groups for reducing drinking in the city and thus reducing overall crime. Those arrested on a first offense for public intoxication were asked to sign a pledge and reform rather than be jailed or fined. The police and courts of the time realized that in most cases, the man they arrested, especially on a first offense, was likely the bread-winner of the house, and that a wife and in many cases, small children were dependent on the man for their welfare.
In his address to the Mayor and Aldermen in the Annual Report, City Marshal Clough noted:
“It will be seen by the facts and figures given that this department cannot be otherwise than a source of constant anxiety to its head. The income is uncertain, and inasmuch as it is charged with all the expenses incurred in out-of-town travel in pursuit of thieves and other criminals, together with horse hire, telegraphing, printing, stationery, food for transient persons, weapons of defense, etc., it is a difficult matter to keep the expenditures below the receipts.”
Author’s Note: It is uncertain where Clough was going with this statement or what his ulterior motive might have been for bringing it up. It seems odd that he would be the first department head in 25 years to realize the precarious financial position of the department – but maybe he was.
By 1880 Nashua’s population was 13,400 and the face of the city’s center was changing. Elegant homes and magnificent shade trees along Main Street were being razed for business blocks. Grazing areas for horses were fast-disappearing. There were 36 telephone users in the city, primarily businesses. The city had an elaborate means of notifying firefighters when a fire broke out – but communications within the police department was painfully lacking. Despite that, the city was becoming more and more metropolitan.
During the 1881 fiscal year, there was a total of 580 arrests, the majority, 238 or 41%, were for public intoxication. Given that police didn’t yet have to deal with traffic, and the city was still rather compact, they dealt with what would be considered today rather odd offenses; such as robbing gardens (8), reckless driving (probably horse carriages) (2), pickpockets (2), turning cattle at large on the highway (1), and placing decayed fish near a public street (1) along with a host of other crimes.
Two new officers were assigned to the department this year and required guns. Since the existing guns were “worn and out of repair,” new guns were bought for all officers. Regular Watchmen were also furnished with a pocket billy, which had been previously done. Now each officer was provided with a revolver, pocket billy, handcuffs, and chain nippers.
Also in 1881, one of the most enduring and iconic of Nashua’s businesses – the Laton Hotel, opened for business. At the time it was one of the city’s finest hotels, built where it still stands today, in Railroad Square on the site of what was another iconic hotel, the Merrimac House.
Under the administration of Mayor Benjamin Fletcher (1881-1882), land on Court Street was purchased for $6,683 on which would later be built the new police station. However, as early as around 1868, the same plot of land was used, not as an actual fire station but as a storage shed for fire apparatus. The original shed burned down in 1869 while the city’s newest piece of fire apparatus, the Amoskeag Steamer Torrent No.1 was still in it. The steamer was repaired and the shed rebuilt.
Unlike the Nashua Fire Dept. that cannot operate without pumpers, hose, nozzles and various accoutrements, the Nashua Police Dept. did not own a lot of equipment. The Annual Report of FY 1882, shows “Property in the hands of Police Dept. – $350.00.” This includes a boat which was purchased in the fiscal year just ended at a cost of $34.88. This would appear to be the first piece of transportation equipment purchased by the department.
By 1885, the city was 32 years old, and since its inception, has experienced steady growth with its attendant societal problems and crime. Also from the beginning, the police department had been governed at the whim of city politicians. Police management and rank and file officers came and went. The department sorely lacked managerial consistency. Mayor John Spaulding recognized the department challenges and called for a change. Nothing immediately happened, but the city continued to grow, the calls for police services continued to rise, and it was only a matter of time before the system will be forced to change.
Pic: Aaron Sawyer home / Caption: By the 1880s, the face of Nashua was rapidly changing. Nashua attorney Aaron Sawyer’s home, seen here, was razed to make room for the Nelson Block at 100 Main St., a building which still stands.
Pic: 100 Main St. / Caption: 100 Main St., formerly the Aaron Sawyer home. Just to the right of the building is the alley known as the Library Walk. The building to the right of the alley replaced, around 1940, what was Nashua’s first City Hall.
Yester-Heroes author Gary Ledoux grew up in Nashua’s Crown Hill area, attending Nashua schools and graduating from Nashua High in 1970. He attended NH Vo-Tech for a time, then moved to Amherst, then Manchester, and Weare. He served as a volunteer on the Amherst Fire Dept from 1974 to 1977. A career in the automotive business took him to Florida and then to southern California. After 48 years, he retired in 2017, moving back to Florida with his wife, Rachel, and two dogs. He has published seven books, including two about Nashua history, and has been a contributing editor or contributor to 10 different magazines. Gary can be reached at mayorclum@yahoo.com
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