History

On March 6, 1889 twenty-two men organized what was known as the Cyclone Hose Co. and on April 27, 1889 was incorporated in the State of New York.

In 1907 the Cyclone Hose Company building was erected on Main St. at the west corner of Putnam Ave. This building was taken down and rebuilt as it originally was. It was the former Leonard and Cobb Mercantile store in the nearby community of Spring Mills, New York

The back of the building housed two hose carts and a ladder wagon, one of the hose carts is still owned by the Whitesville Fire Department, and on display at the Fire Building on the Allegany County Fairgrounds. Firemen were summoned by the ringing of a large bell, which today is mounted in front of the fire hall.

Over the years the Cyclone Hose building housed the Whitesville News, the Rod and Gun Club, the Whitesville Library, and the Town Jail was in the basement. The American Legion owned the building for a number of years, until 1996. Various other businesses have been housed there and today it is known as Seabees Tavern, a bar / restaurant.

On December 28, 1908 the Rescue Hose Company was organized by twenty-four men and was housed in a building on the west side of the Cemetery on Main Street. The equipment consisted of one hose reel cart. This building later became Ernest Kear’s Garage and is now part of Wilbur Rounds’ house.

In November 1934, the Independence Fire District was officially formed and entered in the records of the Town of Independence Board meeting. A new firehouse was erected on the site of the present fire hall. A new Dodge Brothers Fire Engine was purchased thorough James Gardner of Gardner Fire Equipment, Wellsville, N.Y. This engine was in use until the early 1970’s, was refurbished by members of the Fire Department prior to the Town Sesquicentennial in 1971. Was sold a few years later to a person in Pennsylvania. Jaime Lewis, a member of the Whitesville Fire Department purchased the truck in 2003 and brought it back to town with the intention of refurbishing it.

Sometime shortly after World War I, exact date unknown, the Cyclone Hose and the Rescue Hose Company’s merged into the Cyclone Hose Company which existed through 1951, at that time the name was officially changed to the Whitesville Volunteer Fire Department and duly recorded. A referendum was put to a vote at that time to purchase a new pumper.

In 1952 the Fire District purchased the second piece of equipment, a 1952 American LaFrance 500 GPM pumper. This pumper was replaced in 1975 by a 1250 GPM American LaFrance pumper purchased from Wm. Shoemaker Associates of Hamburg, N.Y.

In 1961 a GMC chassis was purchased from Harry Graves & Son, Stanndards, N.Y. and a 1500 gallon tanker was built by Bell Equipment of Wellsville, N.Y. This tanker was replaced in 1985 with a 2000 gal. tanker on an International chassis, built by Hill Top Welding of Lima, N.Y.

The fire fighting apparatus at the present time consists of a 2004 - KME 1000 gpm pumper; a 1994 - 1250 gpm New Lexingtion pumper; the 1985 tanker and a 1982 Pierce mini-pumper.

The present fire hall was erected in 1966 and a major addition and renovations were completed in 1996. This addition added another truck bay, a new chief’s office, handicapped restrooms, and an upstairs meeting room. Major renovations were also done to the kitchen area.

Yearly fundraisers of the department are pancake breakfasts, Memorial Day Chicken Bar-B-Q, Turkey Party, and 400 Club drawings.

The fire department applied for and received an Assistance to Firefighter Grant in 2002 for personnel protection gear and 10 sets of MSA Ultra-lite self contained breathing apparatus. A 2004 Assistance to Firefighter Grant has been received for an emergency power generator for the fire hall, and allows the building to be used for an emergency shelter, and 10 spare air bottles.

*History Information provided by Roger Easton