Chambersburg's Vigilant Hook & Ladder members were 'faithful to their duty'

How many of you have ever really seen a modern day fire department ladder truck up close and to see all the equipment that may be used during an emergency? When you do get a chance to see those pieces of apparatus you wonder how they maneuver on some of the streets and roads in our community.

The ladder trucks of today would dwarf the early hand and horse drawn equipment of long ago. The path that leads us to the Vigilant Hook & Ladder Company began on December 31st, 1858 when a group of Chambersburg men met at Franklin Hall to organize the Protection Hook & Ladder Company.

The Franklin Hall was one of the buildings that at one time stood where the recently “Chambersburg Trust” building was recently razed. The “Protection” Company had its first quarters located in part of the east wing of the Market House/ Borough Hall in which the members were given permission to use the second floor to hold their company meetings.

This was Chambersburg's first hook & ladder company. It was in January, 1859 that a committee was appointed by the company membership to travel to Philadelphia with the hopes of securing a piece of equipment.

The committee was able to purchase the ladder truck at a reasonable price and the next step was to make arrangements to bring the piece of equipment to Chambersburg. The ladder truck measured forty six feet long and required two railroad flat cars for shipping to Chambersburg.

Some of the items on the arriving piece of equipment were as follows; five ladders, six fire hooks, two axes, two picks, and five lanterns. Many of the members of the Protection Company had served in the Union Army during the Civil War and due to their age and inactivity the remaining members voted to disband on October 3rd, 1874. Not all is lost as nearly two years later on August 1st, 1876 numerous men in Chambersburg stepped forward to organize a new hook & ladder company which would be known as the Vigilant Hook & Ladder Company No. 1, the name was officially adapted at a company meeting held on August 10th, 1876 with its sole object was putting out fires and the protection of life.

Chambersburg's Borough Council voted to place the hook & ladder that was once used by the Protection Company in good working order. The Vigilants new quarters were built on the East side of North Second Street near East Market Street (Lincoln Way) on a lot that was once owned by P.H. Peiffer.

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This building was located across the street from the Junior Hose Company No. 2. The officers of the Vigilant Company at this time consisted of President, Vice President, Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Treasurer, Surgeon, three trustees, Chief Director, First Assistant Director, Second Assistant Director, Captain, and Superintendent.

At this time if you wanted to become a member of the company you had to be eighteen years of age and would cost you one dollar if you were accepted as a member. The Vigilants were one of the fire companies along with other organizations to attend the dedication of Chambersburg's Memorial Fountain on July 17th, 1878. The Vigilant's had their hook & ladder decorated for this grand occasion in which there was an estimated fifteen thousand people in attendance with a temperature of ninety five degrees.

The Vigilants used their North Second Street until 1884 at which time they moved across the street to the north side of the newly built brick firehouse for the Junior Hose Company which used the side of the building.  During the large celebration of the Franklin County Centennial held in Chambersburg on September 8th, and 9th, 1884 the Vigilant's had twenty men in the line of march followed by their horse drawn hook and ladder.

This piece of equipment was the company's second piece and was much shorter in length and was compact in size. The Chambersburg's Volunteer Firemen's Union was organized on June 10th, 1887 in which the Vigilant's were one of companies to have representation and the badge for the organization to identify the members were one inch in diameter with the name of the company at the top and the number of the company in the center and C.F.D. (Chambersburg Fire Department) at the bottom.

The Vigilants held their meetings in the parlor of the firehouse and the annual meeting was held the second Monday in February at 7:30 pm and the company meetings were held on the second and fourth Mondays of each month at 7:30 pm. The company held their installation of officers usually at the Hotel John which was located at the Northwest corner of South Second and East Queen Streets or the Indian Queen Hotel on South Main Street across from the present Capitol Theater.

The members were always “Faithful to their Duty” and as the membership over the years had diminished it became apparent that the Junior Hose Company and Vigilant Hook & Ladder Company should merge. It was agreed by both companies on July 12th, 1897 that the new name would be known as the Junior Hose & Truck Company No. 2, which today is located at the Headquarters Fire Station on North Second Street in Chambersburg.

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M.L. “Mike” Marotte III is an author and historian who writes about Franklin County. read more from him at www.vintagefranklincountypa.com.