Columbia Hook & Ladder Co. No. 1, Inc.

85 Columbia Drive

A group of citizens gathered at the little red school house at Main and Tremont on May 7, 1876, and decided to start a fire department. On May 15, 1876, the Village Board appointed them firefighters. They used a hand-drawn cart which they kept in the Village Council House on Thompson Street. That building had been built in 1874. It was the home of Columbia Hook & Ladder until 1909. Columbia Hook & Ladder was incorporated on October 1, 1878. From 1909 to 1971 it was located at 252 Oliver Street, where they built a new building at a cost of $4,000. It was sold for $11,500 in 1972. They moved to 85 Columbia Drive in 1971.

Photo: Columbia Hook & Ladder Co. No. 1 today, courtesy of volunteer Museum Director, Donna Zellner Neal

Photo:  Columbia Hook & Ladder Co. No. 1 at 252 Oliver Street, courtesy of North Tonawanda History Museum collection

Historical Data: Courtesy of Daniel K. Evans, Historian - Columbia Hook and Ladder Co. No. 1, Inc. - March 2004