"Knoxville's" First Motorized Fire Truck

Since posting my previous blog, Digging Deeper: Researching the Fire--Using Facebook to find "Knoxville's" 1st Motorized Fire Truck, in which I described how using social media has been productive in the course of my research, I have had some help in locating two additional photographs of "Knoxville's" first motorized fire truck (see below!). Collectively, these three photographs constitute all of the "known photographs" of the American LaFrance fire truck purchased by Park City in 1913 prior to it being incorporated into Knoxville in 1917. But surely, there must be more out there, eh? Yet another positive use of Facebook to do research.


 

The above photograph was taken in January 1913 during the arrival of the American LaFrance Type 10 Triple Combination Pumper from the company's factory in Elmira, New York. The new fire truck, purchased by Park City, is being driven by members of its fire department. Captain Rufus B. Newman is sitting next to the driver. Captain Newman was the son of veteran Knoxville firefighter David Newman, who also had two other sons serving in the Knoxville Fire Department. For more on the Newmans, Knoxville's first family of smoke eaters, see my earlier blogs: Part 1 & Part 2.

The 1913 American LaFrance Type 10 Triple Combination Pumper was moved from Park City to Engine Co. 4 in May 1917 where it remained for many years at the fire hall located at the corner of Clinch and Lithgoe in East Knoxville. (Knoxville News-Sentinel, March 17, 1985)