Hiram Parrish stands second from the right with the Hallelujah Hose Company No 3. When the fire company was formed in 1887, the name was left blank on the form. The company soon garnered its nickname since many of the local clergy were charter members. In the background on the right is John Crocker’s house that was later torn down by J.B.Rice to build his mansion.
The John Larmon Hose Company No. 2, organized in 1887, stands on West Main Street facing south. In the back on the left is the West End Market, then housing Osborne Farm Implements. To the right is the Hazlem building that burned in February 1961. In 1910 the Larmon fire station was on the north side of West Main Street, moving to the south side by 1925.
The East End and the West End united to form the Village of Cambridge in 1866, but four separate fire companies existed until 1931. They were JB Rice Hose No 1, John Larmon Hose No 2, Hallelujah Hose No 3, and the Cambridge Hooks. In this photo each company can be identified by a different uniform. On the left is the Hallelujah Hose Company, who never had official uniforms. Local folklore tells that once when asked to dress in uniform, they appeared adorned in Prince Albert coats and straw hats. [that’s my uncle as a little boy on the left end standing next to my grandfather]
The JB Rice Hose Company No 1 stands with its hose cart in front of the JJ Gray Engine House. The hose cart was pulled by a team of people, not horses. The Russell Hose No 1 disbanded in the early 1890s to be revived two years later under a new name. The new unit was named for Rice, a local business leader and chief engineer of the department.
