South siders dig deep to fund new fire station

MARY LOU MONTGOMERY

The officers of the Fire Department planning committee met at 7:30 p.m. June 13, 1902, for the purpose of discussing the construction of a new fire house.

The meeting was held at the hardware store operated by Edward J. Peck, located at 620 Union. It was in that single-story building - long since demolished and replaced a two-story brick building still standing — that the fire committee had this, and many subsequent, meetings to plan and fundraise for a Fourth Ward fire department.

Peck, born in 1850 in Barry Township, Pike County, Ill.,  was a butcher, doing business in South Hannibal as early as 1881. At that time he operated a meat market next door to where his family lived, at 618 Union, four lots south of Sixth Street.

He changed occupations circa 1895, opening a hardware store in a single-story frame building at 501 Union, located on the southwest corner of Union and what was then known as Fifth Street.

In 1901, E.J. Peck moved his hardware store to the aforementioned single-story frame building next door to the south of his family’s home. That’s where the fire department planning committee met.

Officers, as of April 24, 1902, were:

J.W. Lear, president;

Harry Marseilles, secretary;

Thos. Holmes, treasurer; and

Trustees: E.J. Peck, John Dacey and Gus Seidler.

The soliciting committee consisted of Thomas O’Donnell, Harry Marseilles, Frank Drake, Lee Christian, and Fred Buchanan, alderman.

In mid April 1902, subscriptions were taken from the following:

Five dollars: Sid Roy, Ed Malia (a switchman in the Burlington yards), Loudon Livery Co., E.W. Nelson, J.F. Davidson, W.N. Bates, S.J. Harrison and J.W. Lear.

Two dollars: John Gallagher, G.W. Pine.

One dollar: G.E. Haines, Allen Dale, Volney Gupton, L.A. Lacey, Lester Ferres, J.D. Clark, A. Conklin and G. Koch.

Fifty cents: Dr. E.H. Bounds and Charles Shepherd.

Twenty-five cents: E.T. Goe.

Total: $55.25.

Construction begins

The Hannibal Courier-Post of June 19, 1902, reported:

“The brickmasons began work on the South Side Fire Department building yesterday morning and the work is progressing nicely. The west wall was about three feet in height at the time the workmen stopped work last evening.”

The same newspaper edition also made a report on the building’s progress:

When preparing the plans for a new fire station, it became apparent that a water trough, long-standing on Union Street at the corner of Fifth, would have to be moved.

“The main door of the fire department building opens immediately in front of the trough and it will be impossible to get the hose cart out and in unless the trough is taken to another site. Just where it will be located, however, has not been decided upon.”

On June 24, 1902, the first story of the South Side Fire Department building was nearly complete. The floor joists for the second story were in position.

In August 1902, Andrew Jackson received the contract to install the windows and doors for the building.

A soliciting committee was appointed during the Aug. 22, 1902 meeting at the Peck Hardware Store. Members of the committee were J.W. Lear, Peter Essig and A.W. Bulkley. The newspaper reported the following day, they “will start out immediately and raise enough money to complete the building.”

And the newspaper article continued:

“The railroad boys of the Fourth ward are arranging to give a dance at Alger’s Hall on Monday night, Sept. 15th, for the benefit of the South Side Fire Department.” (Alger’s Hall was located at 509-511 Union.)

On Nov. 2, 1903, the board of directors of the South Side Fire Department were to turn over the deed to the lot and the as-yet unfinished fire department building on the corner of Fifth and Adams streets to the city council. Trustees included Gus Seidler and E.J. Peck.

Three months later, on Feb. 12, 1904, the residents of the South Side questioned the city regarding its plans to finish the fire station. The newspaper of the day questioned: “The citizens erected a building at their expense and trust that the city will equip it. The South Side is badly in need of better fire protection.”

A year later, on Feb. 24, 1905, The Hannibal Courier-Post reported that “the city authorities are having some work done on the South Side fire department building. The structure has not been in very good shape and it was deemed best to make repairs before any serious damage resulted. There has been some talk of equipping the building with a fire department but no definite move along this line as been made by the city council.”

It wasn’t until after a small fire that the city began to take a serious look at manning a South Side fire department.

The Hannibal Courier-Post reported on March 30, 1905, that due to high winds, it was feared that a small fire at the home of James Dougherty on Walnut Street would get out of control. “For awhile it looked as though there would be a serious conflagration.”

Finally, on August. 10, 1905, progress was made toward equipping the long-vacant building. A.G. Kennedy and John Wilson of New London delivered to the fire department a fine horse, the purchase price $200. “Just as quickly as another horse can be secured a team will be transferred to the South Side fire department No. 3,” the Hannibal Courier-Post reported.

The Aug. 18, 1905 edition of the same newspaper reported that propositions were received for the completion of the second floor of the fire department building.

On Aug. 19, 1905, according to the Hannibal Courier-Post:

“Work was started this morning on the South Side Fire Department. Lumber was hauled into the building and the carpenters started the second floor which is to be used as a living apartment by the driver of the cart and will be fixed very convenient. It is to be divided into four rooms, parlor, dining room, kitchen and bath room. Each room will be large and well lighted and will make very desirable living quarters. The plan was first considered by the Council to rent these rooms but it was afterwards decided to let the driver have the use of them. As soon as the second floor is finished work will be commenced upon the first floor and the city expects to have the department in order buy the first of September.”

On Sept. 28, 1905, Arch Leonard, the driver of the South Side Fire Department, moved his household effects into the second story of the fire department building.

As a finishing touch, the Hannibal Morning Journal reported on Sept. 30, 1905: “The old fire bell which has been located at the intersection of Fifth and Jefferson streets for many years has been placed in position on the South Side fire department building. Considerable difficulty was experienced in raising the bell to the roof of the building and it was necessary to cut several electric wires in order to accomplish the task.”

The first fire call came on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 1905:

“A good run was made by the South Side fire department No. 3 Tuesday night when called to the building owned by Anderson Bros.’ Meat market which had caught fire. This was the first call the department has made but Mr. (Hy) Clancey and Sam Blackshaw acted as though they were old hands at the business.”

Paul Maddox (1941-2021), former Hannibal firefighter, is pictured in November 2009, while talking about the uniqueness of Hannibal’s South Side fire station. File photo/Mary Lou Montgomery.

Paul Maddox interview:

Last crew to man station

Interviewed by Mary Lou Montgomery, who was editor of the Hannibal Courier-Post in 2009.

“Me, John Eisle and Donnie Collins were the last crew on the South Side. The chief came in one morning at 7 o’clock and said, ‘pack the truck up with what you can carry out and lock the door and let’s go.’ He didn’t want to fight … the South Side. The South Side built that station. It was theirs, exclusively theirs. The trains split the town. Bear Creek bridge, and the one on Main Street (provided the only vehicle access.) When the trains came through, the only way you could get to the South Side was to go all the way out Lindell Avenue, cut across and come in the back way. That was it. When they built the (Third Street) viaduct (across Bear Creek) … the understanding was that station was built out there (on McMaster’s Avenue) … as soon as that viaduct opened up, we were gone.

“We knew it was coming, but not the day that it happened. We never did go back. The stuff was picked up by somebody else.

“That (South Side) station was built at an angle. When you backed into it, you had to cock the truck here, get so far in, and then crank the wheel real hard, and straightened yourself and come back in. Pulling out wasn’t too bad, because you could see where you were going. If you backed up, you had to back up by mirrors. There was no other way of getting in. You backed up by mirrors. You knew where the pole was; you knew where the candy machine was. It was how you came in and judged your distance.

“South Side was the old (station) 3. I was there at least five or six years. Might have been longer than that. I’ll tell you, I said the South Side owned that station. I still see the kids around (town.) When they were small they lived over on the South Side. What would happen is they would come over the the station and stay with us, and eat with us. They just got to know us, and we got to know them. Mom and Dad would call up the station from their house phones and say ‘would you send the kids home?’ We were like role models to them; the kids liked to be around us and didn’t cause us any problems. They knew the rules, and they followed them. If we went on a fire they went home.

“Then the old men over their established their card playing place. Every morning after we got our house chores done, the old men gathered in there and they played pinochle. If you won you stayed in the game, if you lost you were out. It was constantly. At 12 o’clock they ate. At 1 o’clock they came back. At 5 we ate, they ate; then they came back at night. I played a real good game of pinochle.”

Note: Paul Maddox began working for the Hannibal Fire Department in 1965, and continued there for about 11 years. After that, he worked for the state as an arson investigator, and eventually retired as fire chief for Cyanamid.

This illustration, based upon the Sanborn fire prevention map of 1906, shows key location associated with the construction of the South Side fire department No. 3. No. 1 represents the hardware store operated by E.J. Peck., 620 Union. Many planning meetings for the new fire station took place in this building. No. 2 is the home of E.J. Peck and family, 618 Union. Mrs. Peck also operated a confectionery store at this address. No. 3 is the new fire station, 500 Union. The first run out of this station was on Nov. 28, 1905.