Stories from the History of Nashua’s Police and Fire-Rescue Departments.
A fire can happen anytime, anywhere, for any number of different reasons. Here are a few of the more iconic places in Nashua where fire struck in the 1870s.
November 18, 1873: A Reverend staying at the Tremont House hotel discovered an unusual smell of smoke about the house, which he could not account for. He awoke the landlord, finding the halls filled with smoke. A Nashua police officer joined in the search finding a fire in a saloon’s kitchen in the rear of the building fronting Pearl St. The fire department was called out.
Eventually three responding steamers poured six streams of water, two from each engine. Onlookers helped lead 30 horses out of the adjoining stable to a stable in Railroad Square. They also saved carriages stored within as well as other property that could be carried out. The wooden extension of the Tremont House, in which the fire originated, the stable, a house and a second stable were all burned beyond repair.
Author’s Note: Many of today’s Nashuans probably never heard of the Tremont House Hotel. The Tremont House was one of Nashua’s classiest hotels and stood at the northwest corner of West Pearl and Main streets. In fact, the intersection of Pearl and Main was once known as Tremont Square. In 1877, Nashua was visited by U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes who attended a banquet in his honor at the Tremont House Hotel. The spot occupied by the Tremont was later occupied by the Second National Bank. This is now lawyer’s offices. The stable and area that burned is approximately where the bank/lawyer’s parking lot is now situated.
In the days of horse-drawn fire equipment, the horses needed to be exercised regularly to stay in shape. In the absence of running daily to a fire, the horses would be hooked up to the fire apparatus taken out for a walk. On August 24, 1876, a small fire was discovered in the Cross and Tolles Lumberyard on Franklin Street. Local residents unsuccessfully tried to contain the flames. The fire alarm was sounded. A hose company and some firefighters quickly arrived – but no steamer to pump the water. It should have been a short, quick run from the Central Fire Station on Court Street to the fire scene on Franklin Street. It seems the equipment had been driven in the opposite direction, down to the Worcester Depot to exercise the horses. Minutes later the Torrent Steamer arrived. It took one hour to bring the blaze under control. Author’s Note: The Worcester Depot was a train station near the corner of E. Hollis St and Main St., about where the Citizen’s Bank is today.
During Nashua’s earliest days, the city started growing at two different ends of Main Street. At the north end, the mills drove the population and commercial settlement around Union Square (now known as Railroad Square), Water St., Factory St. and Pearl St. In the “south end” people and commercial enterprises settled in the “Harbor” area, what used to be the Harbor Pond and is presently the Simoneau Plaza. This was driven by the Vale Mills located just south of the intersection of Main and Lake streets. In researching Nashua Fire Department records, little is mentioned of fires in the Harbor area. Two of note are: December 28, 1874. Fire is reported at a boarding house in the Harbor area on south Main Street.
The house was owned by the Vale Mills. The report gives no other information. Then, on July 10, 1876, struck by lightning, a barn in the Harbor area burns to the ground. There is no mention of the fire dept. responding or not. At the time, a run from the Central Fire Station on Court St. to Harbor Pond was a rather extensive trip. Similarly, on January 1, 1878, firefighters responded to a house fire on Lake St. near Sandy Pond. With the long run, the building was in ashes when firefighters arrived. It was believed the fire was the work of an arsonist.
March 23, 1878 Smoke was found issuing from the windows in the roof of the ell of Otterson’s Foundry on Foundry Street. Upon arrival, firefighters found the fire was in an apartment inside the foundry building. Firefighters were able to contain the fire to the building. Author’s Note: This is now Nashua Foundries at 5 Foundry St. According to its web page, the company was founded in 1863. Today, it seems odd that an apartment would exist inside a foundry building but these were the days before building codes.
By 1878, the city, and its fire and police departments were celebrating their 25th anniversary. On November 11, 1878, in his Inaugural Address, Mayor Charles Holman said this about the fire department:
An efficient, well-organized and well-equipped fire department is our only safety in the time of fire. Those who have had some of their property destroyed by fire know best how to appreciate the efforts in the services of our firemen…. We now have three steam fire engines, and the hand machines are things of the past.
At about 8 o’clock in the morning, on November 16, 1878, fire was discovered in a partition in the upper story of the Greeley Building. It immediately ignited the excelsior material and other combustible material in the mattress room. The situation quickly got out of control. The fire department was therefore called out and for the best part of an hour it poured a flood of water upon the burning building while the occupants assisted by friendly volunteers struggled to save their property. Many of them succeeded in preventing a heavy loss.
Author’s Note: Built in 1833, the Greeley Building is one of Nashua’s oldest structures, bult on the site of what would eventually be the Hunt Library on Library Hill. In 1901 the Greeley Building was moved across Clinton St., and turned 90 degrees to face Clinton St. Today it is Fody’s Tavern.
Author’s Note: The ”excelsior” mentioned above is the name for fine wood shavings that were commonly used at that time to stuff furniture and mattresses. As one would expect, it is highly flammable.
And to end this week’s entry, we have this…. Given what seems like rather crude firefighting equipment compared to today’s massive pumpers and ladder trucks, and hose lines that deliver thousands of gallons of water per minute, one must ask, “How effective were those old steam-powered pumpers?”
On April 8, 1875, the Nashua Fire Department held their monthly drill to “work the equipment and horses.” At a signal, an “alarm” was sounded and a steamer left the Central Firehouse at a “fire gait.” The steamer’s fire was lit before it left the station. It arrived at the reservoir at Pearl and Main streets and had water flowing through the hose in under 7½ minutes.
Excerpted from Ledoux’s book: Nashua’s Bravest: The History of Firefighting in Nashua NH
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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