FDNY and NYC Firehouses and Fire Companies - 2nd Section

[68jk09]

The remains of the boat can be seen at the foot of Rossville Avenue in Staten Island just 2 short blocks from E168/EMS B23 quarters.

I have said it before it is a shame that the Hewitt has been left to rot for so long in that spot....too bad some group could not place the bulk of the remains in a protected spot on land like maybe in a Park like setting kind of like a Memorial.

 

[mack]

The sad ship graveyard in Rossville was originally a slip for a ferry that ran from Staten Island to Woodbridge NJ.






I have been a frequent visitor to what I call The Dead Pool, a bend in the Arthur Kill, the waterway separating the west and south of Staten Island from New Jersey. It is located at about Arthur Kill Road and Rossville Avenue in the formerly dying town of Rossville, which has since been revitalized by acre upon acre of cookie cutter tract housing.
Founded in the 1950s by Arthur Witte Jr., the yard sits on a desolate stretch of land at the junction of Arthur Kill Road and Rossville Avenue. Once described by the New York Times as an accidental marine museum,” the Witte Marine Scrap Yard accumulated far more vessels than it could dismember, and the boats quickly piled up. Arthur Witte intentionally stored the vast collection of ships for parts, but the wrecks became a habitat to teeming colonies of underwater fauna. A change in environmental law mandated that these eco-systems be untouched and the hulks endured. Over 400 ships inhabit the yard, now known as the Don John Iron and Metal Scrap Processing Facility.
The junkyard is home to one of the largest collections of historic boats in the United States and has attracted a deluge of maritime historians from across the country. Some of these craft have tales as gripping as the metropolis of Manhattan itself. The Free Library
Vessels from all decades of the 20th Century lie in a state of decomposition and rust at this scrapyard at Arthur Kill Road and Rossville Avenue. Most are tugs or cargo ships. The former piers have collapsed and are for the most part unpassable; these wrecks are officially located in the Witte Scrapyard and are off limits to the public, which hasn’t stopped dozens if not hundreds of urban explorers and gawkers from wandering out to these hulks and snapping away. One of the most accomplished of these photographers has been Sean O’Boyle, whose black and white pictures of these ghost vessels have been iconic. I last visited it in February 2004

SHIP GRAVEYARD, ROSSVILLE, Staten Island - Forgotten New York

I have been a frequent visitor to what I call The Dead Pool, a bend in the Arthur Kill, the waterway separating the west and south of Staten Island from New…

forgotten-ny.com

The Rossville area of SI was originally called "Blazing Star" after a local tavern and hotel. The name changed to "Rossville" in 1830 after Col. William E. Ross, a wealthy landowner who built Ross Castle, a replica of Windsor Castle, on a hill overlooking the "Blazing Star Ferry" depot. The Blazing Star Hotel was destroyed by fire in 1937. Rossville was a thriving town in the 1800s until the SI railroads were built.

 

[mack]

Classic Staten Island
January 19 ·

The Rossville Hotel, on Arthur Kill Rd. at the foot of Rossville Ave., was built in 1829. A ferry to and from New Jersey stopped there and did thriving business for years until Prohibition spelled it's doom and it was torn down in 1934. Rossville was at one time a hub of Staten Island social life, due to the existence of a ferry between New Jersey and the Island at that location, the Blazing Star Ferry. ``Blazing Star'' was in fact the original name of the community, stemming from the ferry and a long-gone colonial tavern.

Because it was a transportation hub, at least two hotels -- the Blazing Star and the Rossville Hotel, were built in the community.

 

[mack]

There was also the Battle of SI in 1877 which took place during the American Revolution associated with the Ferry and SI town.

Battle of Staten Island | olddutchchurchnyc

www.olddutchchurchnyc.org

 

[mack]

 

[mack]

ENGINE 37/LADDER 40 FIREHOUSE 415 W 125TH STREET, WEST HARLEM, MANHATTAN DIVISION 3, BATTALION 11 "HEART OF HARLEM" "LIFE BEGINS AT 40"


Suburban Engine 39 organized 58 Lawrence Street (W 126th Street) former volunteer firehouse 1865
Suburban Engine 39 disbanded 1868

Engine 37 organized 58 Lawrence Street (W 126th Street) 1868
Engine 37 new firehouse 83 Lawrence Street (503 W 126th Street) 1881
Engine 37 new firehouse 415 W 125th Street w/Ladder 40 1974

Ladder 40 organized 6 Hancock Place 1910
Ladder 40 new firehouse 415 W 125th Street w/Engine 37 1974

Division 6 located 6 Hancock Place at Ladder 40 1918-1922

Battalion 11 located 503 W 126th Street at Engine 37 1884-1898

DECON Unit 37 organized 415 W 125th Street AT Engine 37 2003

 

[mack]

ENGINE 37/LADDER 40 FIREHOUSE 415 W 125TH STREET, WEST HARLEM, MANHATTAN DIVISION 3, BATTALION 11 "HEART OF HARLEM" "LIFE BEGINS AT 40"


VOLUNTEER ERA PRE-FDNY

MANHATTAN HOSE COMPANY , No . 59 Stationed in Lawrence Street , Manhattanville , between Ninth and Tenth Avenues.

John Lynch , foreman ; John McArthur , assistant ; James Murray , secretary ; John Moore , Patrick McKenna , Andrew Keating , Terence Sheridan , Edward Roach , John Chapman , Thomas Murray , James Brady ; John Moore and Andrew Keating , representatives .

- from "REMINISCENCES OF THE OLD FIRE LADDIES AND VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS OF NEW YORK AND BROOKLYN TOGETHER WITH A COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE PAID DEPARTMENTS OF BOTH CITIES BY J. FRANK KIERNAN NEW YORK 1885"



No. 59. -- Ion. -- Manhattan. -- Ion Hose Company 59 was organized September 22, 1856, in James Pettit's carpenter shop, 86 Lawrence Street, Manhattanville, by Alfred Lyon, James Pettit, James Richmond and others, and first located on the first floor of the same building, opposite No. 43 Engine House. They remained here until 1860, when they removed to their new two-story brick house, 58 Lawrence Street, where they remained until mustered out in 1865. The company first run a "jumper," then an old carriage, and in 1862 received a new carriage, painted a rich dark brown, ornamented with gold striping and silver plating, and which the company claimed was the handsomest carriage in the city, or at least in the upper section of it. Pettit has been formerly assistant foreman of 43 engine under Daniel F. Tiemann, and had succeeded Mr. Tiemann as foreman of that company. He was also foreman of No. 59 Hose, and when he left the company had been connected with the Department twenty-two years. James Richmond, now in Girard, Kansas, was secretary from its organization until 1863. They were a good duty-doing company, and before the streets were cut through and graded had many a tough pull with their carriage over the hills. In 1859 the company changed its name to Manhattan Hose Company, and continued under that name until the last. Robt. Prior, who was the secretary of the company in 1864, was the proprietor of the large stables in One Hundred and Twenty-ninth Street, Harlem, and also in Manhattanville. He and his widow, who survives him, were the parents of nineteen children. Wm. Crawford, assistant foreman; Robert O. Glover, secretary Fire Insurance Company; James Hedemath, Garrett Dardass, John McArthur, Patrick McKenna, John Lynch, Michael Lanihan, Paul Schwapper, John McArthur, Edward Roach, foreman and James Murray.

- from "Our Firemen, The History of the NY Fire Departments"

 

[mack]

ENGINE 37/LADDER 40 FIREHOUSE 415 W 125TH STREET, WEST HARLEM, MANHATTAN DIVISION 3, BATTALION 11 "HEART OF HARLEM" "LIFE BEGINS AT 40"


SUBURBAN ENGINE 39 FIREHOUSE 58 LAWRENCE STREET (W 126TH STREET) - ALSO ENGINE 37 FIREHOUSE






WNYF 2009 3RD ISSUE

The Old Quarters--Engine Company 37, Heart of Harlem

by Frederick B. Melahn, Jr., Honorary Battalion Chief

On October 27, 1865, Suburban Engine Company 39 of the new Metropolitan Paid Department was organized, partly on a volunteer basis, with the
company paid a lump sum per annum. The company was organized at 58 Lawrence Street (West 126th Street) in Manhattanville in the quarters of the volunteer company--Manhattan Hose 59--using a hand engine from the volunteers.

Suburban Engine 39 was disbanded on January 1, 1868, and Engine Company 37 of the Paid Department was organized in the quarters of
Suburban Engine 39. They went into service with a reconditioned 1859 Lee and Larned third-size steam engine and a two-horse, four-wheel, hose tender. On

May 20, 1870, the Metropolitan Fire Department (MFD) was reorganized as the Fire Department, City of New York (FDNY).

On November 1, 1881, Engine 37 moved to new quarters (pictured at left) at 83 Lawrence Street (503 West 126th Street). The new firehouse, three stories high, measured 25 by 100 feet and was built at a cost of $18,000. Engine 37 retired their horses in June 1917 when they received a 1917 Sound Bend motorized hose wagon and a tractor for their 1906 American LaFrance steam engine.

Engine 37 occupied the 126th Street quarters for 93 years and on September 6, 1974, was relocated to new quarters at 415 West 125th Street with Ladder 40. Today, the old firehouse is used as a church (pictured at right).





ENGINE 37 FOREMAN

Samuel Best, foreman of Engine 37, is in his fifty-first year. He joined Engine 34 in the Volunteer Department in 1862, where he served until the disbandment of that company, and in June, 1866, was appointed a fireman in the present Department and assigned to Engine 13. On April i, 1867, he was advanced to the rank of assistant foreman of the same company, and in March, 1869, pro- moted to be foreman and transferred to Engine 9. He remained in command of the latter company about six months, when he was transferred to Engine 38 in Carmansville, where he continued for twelve years. In 1881 he was transferred to Engine 37, where he has since continued, with the exception of about five months during the past winter, when he was temporarily detailed to the command of Engine 4

- from "REMINISCENCES"



503 W 126TH STREET FIREHOUSE ENGINE 37







503 W 126TH STREET FORMER FIREHOUSE

 

[mack]

ENGINE 37/LADDER 40 FIREHOUSE 415 W 125TH STREET, WEST HARLEM, MANHATTAN DIVISION 3, BATTALION 11 "HEART OF HARLEM" "LIFE BEGINS AT 40"




WNYF 2004 1ST ISSUE

The Old Quarters Ladder Company 40

by Frederick B. Melahn, Jr

The western parts of Harlem and Morningside Heights were growing in population with the new construction of more and more apartment
houses. On January 1, 1910, Ladder Company 40 was organized in a new firehouse at 6 Hancock Place, near 125th Street and Morningside Avenue.

The new firehouse was one of the first designed with more fireproof materials, such as reinforced concrete and steel. It measured 25 by 90 feet, was three stories high and cost about $40,000. The facade was designed to fit into the area featuring brownstones and tenement houses.

Ladder Company 40’s first apparatus was a 1910 Seagrave 65-foot aerial ladder pulled by horses. In 1913, the horses were retired when a 1913
Christie front-drive tractor was installed on the ladder truck.

On September 6, 1974, Ladder Company 40 was relocated to new quarters at 415 West 125th Street with Engine Company 37. The old quarters were used for 64 years as a firehouse. It remained vacant and in disrepair until a private investor purchased the building in the late ‘90s. The buildings on each side have been removed and two small parks have replaced them. Today, the old firehouse has been restored into a small theater by a theatrical company.






6 HANCOCK PLACE FIREHOUSE LADDER 40





6 HANCOCK PLACE FORMER FIREHOUSE

Beloved Faison Firehouse Theatre at 6 Hancock Place in Harlem For Sale - GothamToGo

Faison Firehouse Theatre, 6 Hancock Place, has been on the market for several years. Completed in 1909, the building was designed by architect Howard E. Constable, and housed the Hook & Ladder Company 40. It is 29-feet wide and includes more than 10,000 square-feet, with a finished roof deck...

gothamtogo.com

 

[mack]

ENGINE 37/LADDER 40 FIREHOUSE 415 W 125TH STREET, WEST HARLEM, MANHATTAN DIVISION 3, BATTALION 11 "HEART OF HARLEM" "LIFE BEGINS AT 40"


415 W 125TH STREET FIREHOUSE ENGINE 37 & LADDER 40

 

[mack]

ENGINE 37/LADDER 40 FIREHOUSE 415 W 125TH STREET, WEST HARLEM, MANHATTAN DIVISION 3, BATTALION 11 "HEART OF HARLEM" "LIFE BEGINS AT 40"


415 W 125TH STREET FIREHOUSE ENGINE 37 & LADDER 40

 

[mack]

ENGINE 37/LADDER 40 FIREHOUSE 415 W 125TH STREET, WEST HARLEM, MANHATTAN DIVISION 3, BATTALION 11 "HEART OF HARLEM" "LIFE BEGINS AT 40"


ENGINE 37

 

[mack]

ENGINE 37/LADDER 40 FIREHOUSE 415 W 125TH STREET, WEST HARLEM, MANHATTAN DIVISION 3, BATTALION 11 "HEART OF HARLEM" "LIFE BEGINS AT 40"


ENGINE 37

 

[mack]

ENGINE 37/LADDER 40 FIREHOUSE 415 W 125TH STREET, WEST HARLEM, MANHATTAN DIVISION 3, BATTALION 11 "HEART OF HARLEM" "LIFE BEGINS AT 40"


LADDER 40

 

[mack]

ENGINE 37/LADDER 40 FIREHOUSE 415 W 125TH STREET, WEST HARLEM, MANHATTAN DIVISION 3, BATTALION 11 "HEART OF HARLEM" "LIFE BEGINS AT 40"


LADDER 40

 

[mack]

ENGINE 37/LADDER 40 FIREHOUSE 415 W 125TH STREET, WEST HARLEM, MANHATTAN DIVISION 3, BATTALION 11 "HEART OF HARLEM" "LIFE BEGINS AT 40"


LADDER 40

 

[mack]

ENGINE 37/LADDER 40 FIREHOUSE 415 W 125TH STREET, WEST HARLEM, MANHATTAN DIVISION 3, BATTALION 11 "HEART OF HARLEM" "LIFE BEGINS AT 40"


LADDER 40

 

[mack]

ENGINE 37/LADDER 40 FIREHOUSE 415 W 125TH STREET, WEST HARLEM, MANHATTAN DIVISION 3, BATTALION 11 "HEART OF HARLEM" "LIFE BEGINS AT 40"


LADDER 40

 

[mack]

ENGINE 37/LADDER 40 FIREHOUSE 415 W 125TH STREET, WEST HARLEM, MANHATTAN DIVISION 3, BATTALION 11 "HEART OF HARLEM" "LIFE BEGINS AT 40"


DECON UNIT 37

 

[mack]

ENGINE 37/LADDER 40 FIREHOUSE 415 W 125TH STREET, WEST HARLEM, MANHATTAN DIVISION 3, BATTALION 11 "HEART OF HARLEM" "LIFE BEGINS AT 40"


ENGINE 37/LADDER 40