Much of the information found here is from “Pocomoke Fire Company - 100 years of Protection”, a booklet distributed during our 100-year anniversary celebration in October 1988. The information was prepared by former Chief George Henderson Jr. and has been periodically updated, the latest revision in November 2024.

The early history of the town from James Murray's book on Pocomoke’s history:

By 1670, the town had been called Stevens' Ferry for many years. The ferry crossed the Pocomoke River from what is now the Somerset County side to the Worcester County side near where the U.S. 13 bridges are now located. In approximately 1683, the town was called Meeting House Landing because during that time a Presbyterian house of worship was erected at the foot of Willow Street. Around 1700, a tobacco warehouse was built, and the names Warehouse Landing and Meeting House Landing were used interchangeably until 1780, when the town’s name was changed to Newtown. In 1865, Newtown was incorporated, and elections were held under the new charter. In 1878, the town commissioners requested that the state legislature change the name of the town to Pocomoke City to reflect the great river on which the town was located.

Formation of Somerset into Worcester and Wicomico Counties

Originally Somerset County covered the entire lower Eastern Shore of Maryland. In 1742, Worcester County was chartered from the eastern part of Somerset County. In 1867 Wicomico County was chartered from Somerset and Worcester counties. What is now known as Pocomoke City remains as the southernmost town in Worcester County with areas outside the town limits stretching into Somerset County.

The major streets in town were known as Cedar Hall Rd, Snow Hill Rd, and Virginia Rd. Cedar Hall Rd became Second Street and Cedar Hall Rd. Snow Hill Road became Front Street, Linden Avenue, and Old Snow Hill Road, and Virginia Road is now Market Street and Old Virginia Road. All these streets connected to Market Street which began at the riverfront and continued south. Other streets such as Willow and Vine Streets, as well as some alleys existed in the days of Stevens’ Ferry and Meeting House Landing.

During the Civil War era, the town experienced rapid growth, and merchants started erecting wooden structures to conduct their business. Market, Willow, Vine, Front, and Second Streets had business establishments as well as residences. Pocomoke City became known as a regional trading center and a hub for shipbuilding.

The Pocomoke City Volunteer Fire Company…from the beginning

The first blaze recorded by the historians of Newtown was a fire in 1866. A newspaper was in operation in Newtown by 1865, but no record of losses has been discovered in any documents pertaining to this fire.

The great fire of 1888 occurred on November 22 at 4 pm. The fire started in the flue at Dr. D.J. Truitt's residence on the southwest corner of Front and Market Streets. Newspaper accounts of the blaze indicated that the town did not have an organized fire company or firefighting apparatus. Citizens using a bucket brigade attempted to control the blaze. As the fire advanced on Market Street and Front Street, fire companies from Salisbury and Crisfield were summoned for help. With the aid of these companies, the fire was extinguished. A list of the properties that were destroyed in the fire were listed in the Democrat Messenger of December 1888. The loss was estimated at $300,000.00 (almost $10 million in 2024 dollars), which included 79 buildings.

On December 18, 1888, the town commissioners called a special meeting to discuss purchasing a fire engine steamer. The citizens were asked to vote on this matter, and the vote was in favor of doing so. The town commissioners chartered a fire company and appointed W.H. Davis as chief. Chief Davis reported to the commissioners that volunteers were willing to serve, and Pocomoke Fire Company Number 1 was officially organized.

The town received its state of art Clapp and Jones steamer in early 1889. Although purchase records of the steamer are not conclusive, research indicates that the steamer was most likely purchased as a used piece of equipment. Its serial number, 464, predates Crisfield’s Clapp and Jones steamer with serial number 577, which was purchased new in 1884. Clapp and Jones steamers were known to be the most expensive and highest quality fire equipment available at the time, so it stands to reason that Pocomoke probably could not afford a new steamer by this manufacturer, so they opted for a refurbished piece of equipment. The 4000-pound steamer could be pulled by the firefighters or by horses, but it is believed that horses owned by the town and used for street maintenance doubled to pull the steamer when the fire whistle sounded.

A companion hose cart was also purchased to accompany the steamer on alarms. Two firefighters pulled the hose cart. The Pocomoke Volunteer Fire Company still owns both the steamer and hose cart, which are on display in the fire station's lobby.

Early Sanborn and Company fire insurance maps indicate that the steamer was first housed in a building on the property of one of Pocomoke’s mills near the river. The mill’s steam whistle was used to alert the town to a fire. The first official firehouse was a small building on Willow Street between Clarke Ave and Front Street. It housed the steamer in the front of the building and the town jail in the rear. The building is still standing (2024), although a second floor has been added over time. Notations on the maps also indicate that the fire company consisted of 25 members who were paid for fires and monthly drills. In essence, it was a “paid-on-call” fire company.

The next significant fire that occurred in Pocomoke was in 1892. This fire originated between midnight and daybreak on July 6 on Willow Street in a store occupied by James Bonneville. Within a few hours, almost all the identical territory destroyed in 1888 was again reduced to ashes. 69 buildings were demolished, and many people were homeless. The loss of fire was reported to be about $250,000 or $8.6 million in 2024 dollars.

The fire company soon outgrew the small engine house and moved in 1892 to a new, larger firehouse on Willow Street between Clarke Avenue and Second Street. Photos show the firehouse before the fire of 1922, with the Clapp and Jones steamer in front of it.

A story has been told of an African American man nicknamed “Box Iron” who tended the fire for the boiler on the steamer. It had been said that he would have the steam up on the boiler within two blocks of it leaving the firehouse. A story relates that Snow Hill called for assistance from the Pocomoke Fire Company and the steamer was loaded on a river barge and towed to Snow Hill. For some reason "Box Iron" did not accompany the steamer to the barge. When “Box Iron” learned of the fire, he ran approximately 15 miles from Pocomoke to Snow Hill and arrived well before the steamer did. When the barge finally arrived in Snow Hill, “Box Iron” was standing on the wharf with his tender in hand, waiting for the steamer to be unloaded.

The next major fire occurred in 1922 and was quoted by the Worcester Democrat newspaper as "The most disastrous conflagration in Pocomoke's History." The April 18 fire originated in an alley in the rear of the store owned by N. Davis and Sons and adjoining the stables of Frances M. Wilson on Maple Street. “It swept away the main business section of town, many residences on Second, Willow, and Market Streets, and the entire residential section of Front and Bridge Streets. Not one home on the latter named thoroughfare remained standing when the holocaust had spent itself,” quoted the paper.

"Neighboring towns sent help including, fire departments from Salisbury MD, Snow Hill MD, Crisfield MD, Princess Anne MD, Seaford DE, Berlin MD, and Ocean City MD. It was their heroic and timely assistance that the Parker House, the Ford House, Coggs' Garage, the business blocks on Clarke Avenue from Maple Street to Callahan's Store, and the west side of Market Street from Matthews & Lankford’s' to the Empire Theater are still standing. They, with our local fire company, saved this entire section of our town, perhaps our entire city,” the newspaper said.

The Pocomoke Fire Company did an outstanding job under the direction of Chief Andrew Pickens. A story shared over time was that the city water pressure and supply was not sufficient to stop the original fire. By the time the engines were moved to the river to draft, the fire had spread and was out of control. A mutual aid fire department arrived and connected their hose to the fire hydrant on the corner of Second and Market Streets. When they turned the fire hydrant on and realized that no water was available, the heat and flames were so intense that their fire hose burned before they could move it.

Unfortunately, the firehouse was among the buildings destroyed in the conflagration. All fire company records, meeting minutes, and historical information were also lost in the fire, leaving the fire company without any official historical documentation prior to 1922. The records of the fire company from the date of the fire onward are now kept in secure fireproof safes.

As a result of the fire of 1922, which resulted in losses of over $600,000 ($11.3 million in 2024 dollars), the town became more aware of the need for fire prevention and modern firefighting equipment. A new brick firehouse was erected on Willow Street by the town, and it also housed

the town hall and a community meeting room. Based on the town’s history of four major fires in the business district that contained mostly wood frame structures, town officials passed an ordinance that all new construction in that district had to be of masonry design. Market Street was widened to prevent fire spread. The town also ordered the first motorized pumper, an American LaFrance 1000 GMP engine. This pumper was designated as Engine # 1 and is still owned by the Fire Company and used in parades and exhibits.

As the town was rebuilt, the fire company continued to grow. A 1926 photograph of the firehouse shows four pieces of equipment, including the Clapp & Jones Steamer purchased by the town in 1888. The other engines shown in the photograph were a chemical truck, a hose truck, and the 1923 1000 GMP American LaFrance pumper.

The 1923 engine was taken out of active service in 1956 and replaced by the town with a 1000 GMP American LaFrance 700 Series open-cab pumper. This unit was replaced in 1978 by a 1250 GPM Seagrave Pumper, which is still in active reserve service and was completely refurbished in 2000. The 1956 LaFrance was converted into the company’s first tanker truck when a 2000-gallon welded tank was built into the engine’s hose bed. This engine was eventually turned over to the city for use in maintenance work.

In 1929, the city purchased a 1000 GPM American LaFrance pumper, which was designated as Engine # 2. The city replaced this engine with a 1000 GPM Cab Forward American LaFrance in 1964 and rehabilitated it in 1984. This engine was sold to the Saxis VA Volunteer Fire Department when we took delivery of our 1998 Pierce 2000 GPM Pumper. Engine 102 is still in active service with the fire company.

The Pocomoke Fire Company has been called to assist many rural areas as well as towns in Wicomico, Somerset, and Accomack counties. From the 1930s to the 1950s, many small communities did not have a fire department and Pocomoke had to respond to fires in Stockton, Girdletree, Greenbackville, Atlantic, Oak Hall, Saxis, Sanford, New Church, Westover, and Rehobeth. In the winter, the drivers had sheepskin coats and wore goggles to protect them from the cold. The volunteers traveled many miles to help those in need.

In 1931, the Ladies Auxiliary was officially formed. This began an era when the auxiliary held public dinners to raise funds for the fire company. These funds were used mostly to purchase protective firefighting equipment for the volunteers. The organization is still very active today, but because men are now members, “Ladies” was dropped from its name and is now known simply as the Pocomoke Fire Company Auxiliary.

The Willow Street firehouse and town hall soon became inadequate to meet both the fire company as well as the town’s needs. The company asked the mayor and council to furnish them with a new building. Mayor E Wilfred Ross stated that he was seeking funds from the Public Works Administration to construct both a new city hall and a separate new firehouse. In 1937, Fred Henderson was appointed by the mayor and council to seek a new location for a firehouse. A piece of property located on the “south end town” was purchased and the new firehouse was built on Fifth Street, between Market and Walnut Streets. Dedicated in September 1939, the building had three double apparatus bays on the first floor and a meeting room, dining hall, and kitchen on the second floor. This was where the ladies' auxiliary served their famous chicken and dumpling public dinners where the food was always delicious, and patrons never went away hungry.

In 1939, there were homes on both sides of the firehouse. Over the years that property was purchased and the structures removed, allowing more room for parking. With additional space for equipment, the fire company received a 500 GPM combination pumper and ladder truck in 1939. This truck was sold in the 1960s. In 1945, a 750 GPM American LaFrance combination pumper and chemical truck was purchased. This engine was designated as Engine # 3 and was replaced by the fire company in 1969 with a 750 GPM American LaFrance pumper with a 750-gallon water tank. This engine was in service until it was replaced with a 1990 Pierce Dash 1250 GPM pumper that featured the fire company’s first fully enclosed cab. The tradition of firefighters riding on the rear bumper ended with the purchase of this new engine. This will soon be replaced by a Pierce 2000 GPM Enforcer engine that was ordered in September 2023.

In 1949, the company purchased a Ford front mount 500 GPM truck and was designated engine # 5. In 1954, the company replaced the old # 5 with a 750 GPM Ward LaFrance pumper having a 750-gallon water tank. This engine was replaced in 1974 with a 1000 GPM American LaFrance Pioneer truck having a 700-gallon water tank. The new engine number was changed to # 4 due to the old ladder pumper truck not being replaced. This engine remained in service until it was sold in 1978 to a fire company in Pennsylvania. This engine was replaced with a 3500-gallon Ford 4-Guys diesel tanker, mainly used to fight fires in areas not supported by fire hydrants. Tanker 1 was replaced in 2010 with an International Fire-Vac 3600-gallon tanker with a 750 GPM pump.

In the 1960’s Worcester County created a Central Alarm system with a county-wide dispatch center for fire and ambulance service. Previously emergency calls were handled by the local telephone operator in an office on Clarke Ave. A person needing help would dial “0” and the phone operator would take the information then blow the fire whistle. Firefighters responded to the station and then called the operator to find out the location and nature of the call, writing the information on a blackboard. With the Central Alarm, a county-wide phone number was called to reach the dispatcher in Snow Hill who then activated the appropriate fire whistle. Home alert units, or “Plectrons”, were soon added and when activated by Central, a loud alarm would sound through the unit in the firefighters’ homes followed by the announcement of the location and type of call. Plectrons were in use through the 1980’s when they were replaced with individual pagers assigned to each firefighter.

The establishment of the Central Alarm system also initiated the use of two-way radios in fire equipment and the numbering of the fire companies in the county. Pocomoke was designated as Station 100, and all equipment was identified with the “100” or “1” preface, a numbering system still in use today.

During the 1970s, rescue responses dramatically increased as traffic accidents on U.S. 13 and U.S. 113 became more frequent. The fire company decided that a dedicated rescue truck was needed. As a result, a Chevrolet Step Van was purchased in 1971 and included the area’s first Hurst Tool, commonly referred to as the “Jaws of Life”. The van was replaced by a used Ford walk-in rescue truck purchased from the Ocean City Fire Company in 1983. This truck was replaced in 1990 by a new International Saulsbury rescue truck and the used Ford rescue truck was obtained by the New Church Virgina Fire Company. In 2017, the International rescue truck was replaced by a custom Pierce Arrow Rescue Engine with a 1500 GPM pump, and the 1990 rescue truck was donated to the Chincoteague Virginia Fire Company. Today, Rescue Engine 1 responds to all rescue calls and is also the second due engine on structure fires.

The Ocean City Fire Company donated a 1940s Peter Pirsch 75-foot aerial truck to the fire company which was returned to Ocean City Fire Company in the early 1990s when the ladder failed at a house fire. A used 100-foot American LaFrance ladder truck was then purchased from the Westminster Maryland Volunteer Fire Company. This unit was replaced in 2003 by Tower 1, a 100-foot Pierce Dash rear-mounted platform truck with a 2000 GPM pump.

In 1978, the Auxiliary presented funds to the company to purchase a Chevrolet four-wheel-drive pick-up truck equipped with a tank and pump for brush fires. Designated as Brush 1, this unit was replaced in 1996 with a Ford F-250 pick-up. A four-wheel-drive Chevrolet pick-up with a utility body was then put in service as Brush 1 and replaced the Ford.

By 2004, the fire company had outgrown its 66-year-old location on 5th Street, and members decided it was time to investigate the feasibility of constructing a new state-of-the-art firehouse. The old station had become inadequate for the modern needs of the fire company, even though additions were made, and a storage building was constructed to the rear of the main building to house the expanding equipment fleet. In addition, the firehouse did not meet modern safety standards, and the banquet facility was located on the second floor without ADA accessibility. A committee was appointed to locate a suitable property and prepare designs for a new firehouse.

While the committee was conducting its research, the former A&P/Drug Fair shopping center at 1410 Market Street became available for sale. The site was in a central location and had all the infrastructure in place, including paved parking lots, electricity, water, and sewage, to make it optimal for the new firehouse. The committee made a recommendation to purchase the property, and the company agreed. It was decided that the former A&P store would be demolished and the fire station be built on its site. The former Drug Fair portion of the property would be repurposed into a Community Center.

By the end of 2006, AWB Engineers had completed the design of the firehouse, a construction loan was obtained from Taylor Bank, and requests for bids were made. Blades Construction of Pocomoke City was awarded the contract. The fire station was completed in 2008, and the 16,500 square foot building has 5 equipment bays facing Market Street, 2 bays facing the northside parking lot, a large meeting/training room, fitness area, firefighter lounge and kitchen, showers, several offices, and large maintenance and storage areas.

The new fire station was dedicated on April 27, 2008, when the firefighters ceremoniously marched from the 5th Street station to the new building. In the line of march were the Clapp and Jones steamer, 1888 hose cart, 1923 American LaFrance pumper, and modern equipment. The Pocomoke High School Band and the Ocean City Pipe and Drums entertained the large crowd that gathered for the dedication, and numerous officials spoke at the ceremony. The fifth home of the Pocomoke City Volunteer Fire was now officially in service.

During the ceremony, the fire company announced that work on the Community Center portion of the complex would soon commence. The center was designed to be one of the finest event spaces on the Lower Shore with various areas that could accommodate nearly 500 people, all on one floor. The design included a full commercial kitchen under the oversight of the Auxiliary, a caterer’s kitchen, and a gathering space featuring a floor-to-ceiling brick fireplace, leather-appointed sofas and chairs, and a grand piano. Lighting for the center included stunning chandeliers and computerized mood lighting. Plans also included a space to accommodate up to 50 people with a separate outside entrance and its own bathrooms that can be used at no cost by non-profit community groups. The Community Center, like the new firehouse, would be protected with a sprinkler system and sophisticated fire and smoke detection systems.

Blades Construction again was awarded the contract, and the Community Center was dedicated in April 2010, two years after the firehouse's dedication. A director was hired to run the facility, and the Auxiliary expanded its menu offerings to provide catering for many of the center's events. The Pocomoke City Community Center has become a great asset for the area and has exceeded all expectations in the number of events held at the venue.

During the dedication ceremony, the cornerstone of the 5th Street firehouse was opened. Unfortunately, the contents of the cornerstone were not adequately protected and had deteriorated to the point where nothing was salvageable. A new cornerstone with a properly sealed box containing material that will give those opening the cornerstone in the future with an insight into 2010 is set next to the entrance of the Community Center.

The complex's total cost was approximately $3 million, and a Capital Campaign with a goal of $400,000 was initiated. Citizens, businesses, and organizations rallied to the fire company’s appeal, and more than $500,000 was raised during the campaign. A Wall of Honor in the Community Center Gathering Space acknowledges all the generous donors who contributed to the campaign.

With the new firehouse containing space for an expanded fleet, the fire company added several utility vehicles. The Ford F-250, formerly the brush truck, was outfitted with traffic control equipment and is now designated as Utility 181. The fire company also has in service a Chevrolet passenger van designated as Utility 180 and a Chevrolet Tahoe SUV, formerly the Command unit, now designated as Command 1-2. A new Ford F-350 pick-up with a cargo top was added to the fleet in 2024 as Command 1.

The fire company has a fully trained and equipped swift water rescue team with certified rescue swimmers. Their mission is supported by a former Army National Guard M1078 truck utilized as a high-water rescue unit and designated as Utility 185. In addition, the fire company was fortunate to obtain through the United States Coast Guard a 20-foot all aluminum welded watercraft manufactured by North River Boats and powered by dual 50 HP Honda engines. Designated as Rescue Boat 1, the craft is equipped with side-scan sonar, night vision gear, marine and county radios, and various water rescue and medical equipment. It is the only rescue boat on the Pocomoke River from Snow Hill south to the mouth of the river and responds to adjacent waterways as well. Pocomoke Fire Company rescue swimmers responded to the crash of a U.S. Navy Osprey aircraft that went down in Chincoteague Bay while on a mission out of the nearby Wallops Flight Center. Three souls were on board, with one trapped inside the sinking aircraft. The rescue swimmers were the first to arrive at the crash site and rendered assistance until additional resources arrived.

The ambulance division of the Pocomoke Fire Company was created in 1954 when Henry Watson of Watson Funeral Home was unable to continue to provide ambulance services to the city. That year he donated a Cadillac ambulance to the fire company. Clayton Lambertson was the first ambulance captain. The original Cadillac ambulance was replaced by two other Cadillac ambulances during a 15-year period. In the late 1960s, a Chevrolet Sentinel ambulance was purchased by the fire company. Over the years many other ambulances served the fire company. The first paid Emergency Medical Technicians were hired in 1973, with Don Malloy as full-time and his wife Hannah Malloy part-time. The company expanded with additional paid personnel and eventually hired eight paramedics to provide 24-hour Advanced Life Support coverage. Volunteer EMTs and paramedics provided backup and covered second-run calls.

The fire company and ambulance division split into two separate entities in April 1997 when the independent Pocomoke Ambulance Company was established. The fire company donated its two ambulances to the new organization, and the ambulance operation relocated to a newly constructed building on Eighth Street. Eventually, the Ambulance Company became a department of the City of Pocomoke government and is now known as Pocomoke City Emergency Medical Services, with all personnel being paid city employees.

Training has always been a core value of the fire company. The first training classes for members were in 1939. Chief Henderson contacted the University of MD and Curt Laramore, instructor for the university, taught the first basic fire course in Pocomoke. Members of the fire company were also among the first in the nation to be trained in Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) as we know it today when the technique was perfected by doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1960. Over the years, members of the Pocomoke Fire Company have trained at the highest levels. All probationary members are required to obtain the Firefighter I certification prior to becoming an active member. Regular monthly drills are conducted to help keep the skills of the firefighters sharp.

The company's fire prevention activities were first organized in 1946 under the direction of Chief Fred Henderson. Company members still conduct fire education programs each year during National Fire Prevention Week for all elementary school students. Additionally, members provide fire safety and prevention education at community events, businesses, organizations, daycare, and nursery schools, and for any other group with a request. This commitment to training and fire prevention has resulted in the low fire loss rates that the Pocomoke area has experienced over the years.

Despite all the fire prevention efforts, modern equipment and advanced firefighter training, Pocomoke has not been immune from several major conflagrations. The fires of significant importance that have taken place since 1922 are: Marvel Package Company, Clarke Ave; Ben Dryden's Mill, Market Street; G.D. Bull Hatchery, Market Street; Tilghman Fertilizer Plant, Clarke Avenue; Business Section (4 Stores) Clarke Avenue (Maple to Walnut); G.D. Bull Frozen Food Locker, Clarke Avenue; Feldman's Furniture, Market Street; Stephen Long School, Fifth Street; Pocomoke Elementary School, Market Street; Pocomoke Pharmacy, Market Street; Bethany United Methodist Church, Market St; Chesapeake Plywood and Mill, Costen Road.

Epilogue

The history of the Pocomoke Fire Company from 1922 to date can be found in archived newspapers as well as in meeting minutes and historical documents kept by the fire company. Unfortunately, the history prior to 1922 is still not complete as many records were lost in the 1922 fire. But we do know the Pocomoke City Volunteer Fire Company has evolved from an organization with a single steam engine and hose cart to an all-hazard emergency response company outfitted with the best available firefighting and rescue equipment, all staffed by highly trained and motivated volunteer firefighters. The members continue the tradition started in 1888 of proudly providing around-the-clock protection to the citizens of lower Worcester and nearby Somerset and Accomack counties.

As a side note, in 2024 the former firehouse on 5th Street built in 1939 has been repurposed as a multi-family structure containing loft-style apartments. The original engine house on Willow Street survived all the devastating fires that occurred in the downtown area and remains in private hands today.