Program

NYS Historic

Subject

Building, Industry & Commerce

Location

1079 Main St, Leeds, NY 12451, USA

Lat/Long

42.254341155523, -73.899750694829

Grant Recipient

Greene County Historical Society

2025 marks the hundred-year anniversary of the opening of the original Leeds Firehouse in the Town of Catskill, New York. The fire department’s Ladies’ Auxiliary group led a dedicated fundraising campaign to erect a “hose house” for the newly incorporated Leeds Hose Company in 1925 (“Leeds,” 1925). The community banded together to lend whatever they could to support the new firehouse. The dollar amount gifted, the labor performed, and the materials donated were documented in the local newspaper. The building was officially completed and occupied by the fire company in May 1925. Leeds’ “hose house” not only served as the headquarters of the fire department, but it also served as a popular community gathering place. The Ladies’ Auxiliary hosted family suppers at the house for a small admission fee. In 1932, a masquerade dance competition was held in the space and lasted until the early morning hours. The house served the Leeds Hose Company, and the community, for over 50 years. The company moved out of the building in 1976, and the property has since been converted into a private residence.

Sources:

Leeds: Firemanic Notes. (1925, April 17). The Recorder.