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We have seen George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin
Delano Roosevelt serve as president. We have witnessed the Great
Baltimore Fire of 1904, the historic Depression of the 1930's,
the landing of a man on the moon, the urban riots of the 1960s,
the wars and the countless twists and turns, ups and downs of
history.
As we celebrate over 200 years of service since 1794, it's a
fitting opportunity to invite you to journey back in time with
us as we reminisce about events that led to our creation, early
development and consistent growth over two centuries. Along
the way we will provide you with a special glimpse of Baltimore's
history as we've witnessed it for over 200 years.
The year was 1729. An act of the Maryland Assembly established
Baltimore as a town on the Patapsco River. Shortly afterward,
Jones' Town was laid out east of Jones' Falls and various additions
stretched the town's boundaries. The original Act, which created
Baltimore Town, provided no special regulations regarding fire
prevention or fire fighting, so it seemed that only an act of
Providence could have spared the town from devastation by fire.
In 1747, two years after Baltimore Town and Jones' Town had
been incorporated into a single town, the first fire regulation
was enacted. It imposed fines of 10 shillings on homeowners
who permitted their chimney's "to blaze out at the top"
and on those who did not have a ladder "high enough to
extend to the top of the roof of such house." Terror of
fire, particularly in winter, loomed over the colonists.
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| Klaxon, which when whirled produced
an ear-ringing, raucous alarm that a fire had occurred.
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Baltimore's first recorded fire occurred on March 16,1749, at
the house of Greenbury Dorsey. It must have been a fast roaring
blaze as Mr. Dorsey, his four children and a servant girl burned
to death before help reached them.
At the time of Dorsey's house fire, there was no organized system
for fire fighting. Most homes had leather fire buckets and when
the alarm was raised by word of mouth everyone able grabbed
buckets and ran to help. At the scene, fire fighters formed
two lines, one to swing water from a well and the other to return
the empty buckets for another round. Nearly everyone was a fire
fighter; no one could afford to be a spectator.
This procedure continued until 1763, when a group of prominent
citizens organized the Mechanical Fire Company. This first fire
company was essentially a bucket brigade until 1769 when it
acquired its first fire engine, a copper ship's pump. Named
the "Dutchman" because it was purchased from a Dutch
ship for 99 pounds, the engine had two brass pumps, one small
section of sewn hose, a discharge pipe for directing a stream
of water and was hauled on its wheels by ropes.
But one fire company was not adequate for the growing port city
with its valuable commercial and residential property. In 1782,
the Union Fire Company was incorporated and housed its engine,
the "Tick-Tack,” at the Hanover Market. Other fire
companies soon followed, including the Friendship Fire Company
in 1785, the Deptford Fire Company in 1792 and the Liberty Fire
Company in 1794, all volunteer organizations.
Despite the efforts of these and other fire companies, fires
continued to consume many homes and businesses. The need for
fire insurance became increasingly evident. In 1787, the Maryland
Legislature passed an act incorporating the Baltimore Fire Insurance
Company, later called the Maryland Fire Insurance Company, but
this company was short-lived.
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