Stories from the History of Nashua’s Police and Fire-Rescue Departments.
From the Author: Growing up in Nashua, following its history, and seeing how the city has grown and developed is fascinating to me. I am constantly intrigued by the juxtaposition of time and space – seeing what structures occupied a certain space at a certain time, only to be replaced by another, and maybe another structure at a different time. Or perhaps, the structure burns, never to be replaced leaving only photos and a memory. Here are several instances of how buildings and property-use changed over time, and how it relates to fires in Nashua.
Nashua Mayor Dana Sargent, in 1871, to promote business, recommended an act authorizing exemption of new industries from taxation from five to ten years. That same year, the firm of Gregg and Hoyt (Later known as the more familiar Gregg and Sons, makers of doors, window sashes and other wood mill products) were the first to benefit by this measure when they moved their business from Goffstown to Crown Street in Nashua. This encouraged people to build homes in the Crown Hill area and thus was the need for a school and fire protection. Having some vision for the future, Mayor Sargent bought, for $2,000, the plot of land on Arlington Street where the Arlington Street School and later the Dr. Norman W. Crisp Elementary School would be built, as well as the first fire station in 1892 and a second fire station in 1925. Both of these stations have long-since been taken out of service for the latest “Crown Hill Station” on East Hollis Street.
The Holman Candy manufactory on the corner of Main and Eldridge streets burns on May 20, 1871. (It is believed this was on the site of what for years was Coronis Cleaners and is now, in 2024, Charron Medical.) A passer-by saw the flames and apparently called in the alarm. The fire was pushed by a brisk wind. Also working against the firemen’s efforts were hydrants that ran out of water. Messengers were immediately dispatched to the Jackson and Nashua Corporations and their pump set to work following the Pennichuck pipes. This gave the fire department more water, and they quickly had control of the flames. A Nashua Telegraph article notes that they “saved the buildings on Main Street.” Yet in another sentence it states that two tenements on Main Streey, 148 and 150, were destroyed. Several other houses and two additional tenement buildings (possibly on Eldridge Street) were consumed. Holman’s loss was estimated at $20,000. Authors Note: The “candy factory” belonged to the Holman family whose home was on the north corner of Eldridge and Main St. This house was later torn down and was for many years a parking lot for St. Patrick’s Church. It would eventually become the St. Patrick’s Church Recreation Center. The Holman family would later be responsible for building a stadium in the north end of the city.
According to an entry in the Nashua Fire Chief’s Log, on December 13, 1871, a fire at the Pearson’s Building at the corner of Main and E. Hollis streets resulted in a complete loss of the building. A Nashua Telegraph article notes that the building belonged to a Judge Pearson. It contained two stores, one was vacant, the other occupied by Chas. McKean’s grocery store. The second floor was leased to people for storage. It seems a clerk of McKean’s was tapping a barrel of “illuminating oil” in the presence of an open flame. (It was 7:30 p.m. and dark.) The flame ignited the fumes and the wooden building was quickly consumed. Author’s Note: It is believed that this building was on the south east corner of E. Hollis and Main streets. One hundred years later, this would be the site of H. Daw Gulf Service. It is now (2024) a large CVS Pharmacy store.
In the early morning hours of April 30, 1872, the watchman from the Nashua Iron Works discovered a fire in the car house of the Worcester and Nashua Railroad. An alarm of fire was promptly given, however, a lack of water pressure at local hydrants greatly hampered efforts. At one time the dwelling houses near the burning building seemed in imminent danger and, in fact, must have been burned but for the efforts of a neighbor who brought several small garden pumps, or fire extinguishers to the rescue. The cause of the fire was thought to have been arson. Author’s Note: A large brick building on this corner was occupied first by the Holbrook Marshal Company and later by Nashua Paper Box Company and Valley Auto Parts. It is today part of the Southern NH Medical Center. Nashua Iron and Steel occupied the land and building Nashuan’s will remember as Osgood’s Hardware. The car house for the Worcester and Nashua Railroad would have been in the vicinity of the present-day Certified Automotive Solutions auto repair shop (formerly Demers Truck Center) on the north east corner of E. Hollis Street.
On February 6, 1873, the watchman at the Eaton & Ayers Bobbin factory on Water Street discovered smoke issuing from a woodshed in a court leading from Mechanic Street. The shed stood in the center of a number of tenement houses. The surrounding property and wooden buildings on Factory Street were in great danger and through the promptness of the man who gave the alarm and put a stream of water on the burning tinderbox with Eaton & Ayers fire apparatus, that a serious conflagration was averted. The fire was under control when the city fire department, which responded promptly, arrived. The fire was caused by leaving ashes in a wooden bucket. It was the second time within a year or two that the shed had been on fire due to the same cause.
Author’s Note: During Nashua’s early years, the area around Water Street, Mechanic Street and what used to be Washington Street was very congested. Before the days of zoning laws, it was a mish-mash of tenement houses, stores, and miscellaneous wood structures centered around the Eaton and Ayers Bobbin Factory. It had the potential for creating a calamitous fire. Today, Washington Street is gone, and most of this area is parking lot.
On May 9, 1873, an alarm sounded for a fire in a large wooden structure on E. Hollis Street near the intersection of E. Hollis and Spring streets, just west of the Warner and Whitney Machine Shop. Hydrants in the area did not provide ample water. Firefighters were forced to pump water from a reservoir on the corner of Main and Pearl streets through over 1,500 feet of hose. By the time the discharge hoses had enough water, the second and third floor of the building was gutted. Author’s Note: This building stood where the Public Works garage stood for many years. This is now a parking lot.
Excerpted from Ledoux’s book: Nashua’s Bravest: The History of Firefighting in Nashua NH
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 [email protected]
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