Young Men of Muscle Join the Fire Company

The so-called "base ball fever" struck in 1867 as clubs sprung up in cities & rural towns from East to West Tennessee. In Knoxville, two clubs comprised of former Unionists (Knoxville Knoxvilles) & Confederates (Knoxville Holstons) formed and played their first games in the spring of 1867 on the Old Baseball Grounds, located in what is today the 400 block of East Gay Street, the scene of the 1897 Million Dollar Fire. In 1867, this area was commonly used for itinerant circuses and town gatherings. The ground sloped down from Gay Street, this giving the block an amphitheater feel. By the fall of 1867, there were several base ball (19th century baseball = two words) clubs playing in the city. Some bemoaned the fact that many of Knoxville's young men were afflicted with the "base ball fever." Others stressed the benefits of physical exercise. The editor of the Knoxville Free Press put the "base ball fever" in perspective: "Base Ball Clubs are good things, but fire companies are better, young men of muscle join the fire company."


Knoxville Free Press, November 7, 1867

 

Follow up: The Newmans, The First Family of Knoxville's Smoke Eaters

I have been pleasantly pleased by the reception to my recent blog post on the Newmans', The First Family of Knoxville's Smoke Eaters. Interestingly, I came across another photograph of the Newman family thanks to my good friend and first-rate researcher Mark Aubrey. Mark put me on to a run of Sunday Knoxville News Sentinel papers during 1934 in which the paper's editor encouraged Knoxvillians to share old photographs. These Sunday photo albums have yielded a lot of interesting images for my research on Knoxville's Million Dollar Fire and should for anyone interested in old Knoxville history.

One of the photographs shared included the following image (see below) of Park City's volunteer Fire Department, prior to Park City's incorporation as part of greater Knoxville in February 1907. It is rather difficult to pin down the exact date when the image was taken since no date was provided; however, it was likely taken anytime after January 1898 when both David and J.R. Newman were abruptly let go for political reasons, but prior to 1907 (though I would lean towards the date being closer to 1898 more so than 1907). Among these doughty smoke eaters is recently retired Knoxville firemen David Newman (front row seated, second from left), the Newman family patriarch, and his two sons: J.R. Newman is seated next to his father and his brother J.W. Newman, who submitted the photograph to the Sentinel in 1934, is standing second from the right.

Knoxville News Sentinel, April 22, 1934

Knoxville's Fire Department in Action (1915)

Postcard of Knoxville's Fire Dept. HQ & the Central YMCA. 
(Courtesy of Walter & Mary Lee Bates)

The early 1910s was a time of transition not only for Knoxville's fire department, but also fire departments across America. The response in the wake of the 1911 New York City Triangle Shirtwaist Fire tragedy that killed 146 workers was overwhelming. The Triangle Shirtwaist fire changed America, igniting a wave of investigations that resulted in significant fire safety reforms across American cities. In addition to fire safety reforms, American fire departments initiated civil service reform in which firemen were no longer elected by city fathers, but rather selected based on their abilities and skills. It was also a time in which fire departments became motorized. The following film, from the Thompson Family Film Collection preserved by TAMIS (Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound), captures the Knoxville Fire Department in 1915 "responding to an alarm" from its main headquarters located on Commerce Avenue.

Vintage Films of the Horse Drawn Era of Firefighting

The fire horse served only about a half century (mid-1800s-1910s) before the introduction of the motorized fire department; however, their introduction heralded the most stirring and romantic time in firefighting history. Click on the following links below for videos (approx. 1-2 minutes each) from the Library of Congress of several late 19th & early 20th century fire departments in action.


1925 run of Washington, D.C.'s last 3 fire horses (Barney, Gene, & Tom) with driver, James Gately
(Courtesy of Hugh Miller Photograph Collection ca.1865-1950, D.C. Public Library) 

Albany, New York 1901

Newark, New Jersey, November 14, 1896 (Video 1)

Newark, New Jersey, November 14, 1896 (Video 2)

Buffalo Fire Department June 1897

Cleveland Fire Department, October 18, 1900

New York City Fire Department Returning from a Fire, May 11, 1903