Skip to main content

FIRST FIRE CO.

Program
NYS Historic
Subject
Government, People, Site
Location
70 Church St, Freeport, NY 11520, USA
Lat/Long
40.654688, -73.582203
Grant Recipient
Freeport Landmarks Preservation Commission
Historic Marker

FIRST FIRE CO.

Inscription

FIRST FIRE CO.
EXCELSIOR HOOK & LADDER CO.,
INCORPORATED DEC. 5, 1874,
A FOUNDING COMPANY OF THE
FREEPORT FIRE DEPARTMENT
ESTABLISHED IN 1893.
WILLIAM G. POMEROY FOUNDATION 2023

Excelsior Hook & Ladder Company No. 1 of Freeport in the town of Hempstead on Long Island, NY was incorporated on December 5, 1874, for the purpose of “the extinguishment of fires and the protection of property from being destroyed by fires” (Articles of Incorporation, December 5, 1874).

In 1892, the village of Freeport was incorporated. The following year, after a devastating fire that destroyed a local school, Excelsior Hook & Ladder and the recently organized Wide Awake Engine Company became the founding companies of the Freeport Fire Department, established in September 1893.

As of 2023, Excelsior Hook & Ladder continues to protect the village of Freeport, maintaining its presence on Church Street for nearly 150 years.