HISTORY

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History of Williamson Fire Department

In 1892 the town of Williamson had no municipal facilities of any kind primarily because there was no electricity, no natural gas
for heating, no paved streets, no water service, and of course no fire fighting capabilities. Fires were so common that property
owners with the financial means built separate structures away from the house just to put the kitchen in and families who had
wells kept ten barrels of water on hand at all times just to be used in the event of a fire. Whenever a fire occurred everyone
within yelling distance dropped whatever they were doing and grabbed their fire bucket and ran to the nearest well to join the line
for a bucket brigade.

Sometime between 1892 and 1900, after much pressure and financial assistance from the Norfolk & Western Railway, who was
laying track in southern West Virginia in order to transport the rich energy producing coal that was being extracted from the
beautiful mountainous region, a water pumping station was constructed on the banks of the Tug Fork River and a water reservoir
was placed on the hill (Reservation Hill) overlooking the town. As monies became available pipes were then laid to First, Second,
Third, and Fourth Avenue and connections were made for homes and businesses as well.

In 1904 the town’s only saw mill (Mingo Lime & Lumber Company) was completely destroyed by fire. It was owned by William A.
Harris, a confederate soldier’s son who migrated from North Carolina after the Civil War to escape the post-war economic
depression that was so prevalent in the south. Soon thereafter nearly one-third of the mercantile district of Second and Third
Avenue was also devastated by fire. By now everyone began talking about the need for some sort of firefighting service, but little
action resulted. It wasn’t until the following year after the arrival of Fred Pfenning and William S. Rosenheim that serious talk
to organize an all volunteer firefighting force started to occur.

Rosenheim had just graduated from the Bluefield Dental College and set up his practice in Williamson and Pfenning, who owned a
bakery in Bluefield, was relocating his business to Williamson. Bakeries were especially prone to fires so this became an instant
source of worry for the young entrepreneur. He started discussing his concern with his new friend the dentist and they soon
learned that the city had purchased two hose-carts for fire fighting and put them in sheds in the new business district around
town. However, the carts had never really been used because they required the strong backs of at least six able bodied men to
move them with any speed. The problem of finding and then convincing enough able bodied young men to help was now identified
as the first step in organizing a firefighting force.

The leaders of the younger generation in Williamson at that time were the Gaujot brothers, Julien and Antoine. They had just
returned home from active duty in the Spanish American War and remarkably both were recipients of the famed Congressional
Medal of Honor for their distinguished bravery and acts of heroism. If the town’s leaders could be successful in getting these two
young men interested in firefighting it was felt the rest would be easy. By 1906 the Williamson Volunteer Fire Department was in
operation and ready to serve the public.

Eventually hose carts were located at strategic points all over town to serve a particular “home area”. A siren was installed at the
water department and a series of alarms were developed that designated the area of the fire and the degree of assistance needed.
Every Wednesday at 7:00 pm piano boxes were piled up in a vacant lot and set on fire while the volunteers raced to the location to
extinguish the fire for training purposes. Wednesday evenings, thereafter, became a popular social event that attracted nearly
every young man between the ages of sixteen (16) to forty (40). Soon the dentist, William S. Rosenheim and the baker, Fred
Pfenning became the first Fire Commissioner and Fire Chief of the Department.

By now most of the larger cities were replacing their horse drawn fire engines and carts with motorized apparatus and Williamson
was to be no different. There was even talk about making its all volunteer force a full-time paid fire department so the city
council authorized Commissioner Rosenheim to investigate the possible purchase of a modern motorized fire engine. He traveled
to Cincinnati, Ohio to visit the Cincinnati Fire Department, which had recently replaced about one-half of its fleet of horse drawn
engines with motorized apparatus. From there Rosenheim went to the Ahrens-Fox Fire Engine Company, who was building one of
the best fire engines in the world at that time.

In 1917, on a spring Sunday morning sitting on a rail siding at the Amicon Fruit Company in downtown, was a boxcar that
contained the future of firefighting for the town of Williamson. It was a brand new red and white Ahrens Fox motorized fire
engine with all the latest fire fighting equipment. It was driven in parade fashion all over the West Williamson, East Williamson,
Williamson Hollow, and South Williamson all that day up until the following day.

Commissioner Rosenheim made arrangements with the Cincinnati Fire Department, which was regarded at that time as the
finest fire department in the country, to send his men there to train alongside them for weeks at a time. He and Chief Pfenning
soon whipped the forces into one of the finest firefighting crews in the state of West Virginia.

In 1923 H.L. Pyle was appointed Fire Chief.

By 1947 Claude Stowers became the Chief of the Department having taken over the reins from Alonzo “Buddy” Preece. Stowers
is credited with making several significant reforms in the Department. Under his leadership, the Department became a fully paid
force of career firefighters and was chartered with the International Association of Firefighters, an affiliate of American
Federation of Labor. He was also credited with establishing the firemen’s pension fund. Stowers was a strong willed leader
demanding hard work and dedication from his men in order for them to stay at the top of their game.
Stowers was replaced by Grover C. Phillips who held the position until January 16, 2002 when he was replaced by Jerry M. Mounts.