HISTORY OF THE CLARENDON FIRE COMPANY, INC. 1955 to 1992
In the storage room at the Clarendon Town Hall there is a petition signed by the majority of registered
voters in the town urging the town board to set up a fire department. The petition was presented to the
town board in 1935! For many years the residents of Clarendon had talked about the need for a fire
department. In 1955, as the story goes, Gordon Ferguson, Gerald Webster and Earl Haight happened
to stop in Holley for a cold drink. While enjoying their cold drink the subject was brought up about the
need for a fire company in Clarendon. Eventually they proceeded to the Clarendon stone store, then
owned by Wesley Potter, where they spoke to Judge G.H. Keople about their proposal to form a fire
company for the Town of Clarendon. Judge Keople agreed it was a good idea! Apparently another
group of townspeople were also discussing the same topic. Charles Sevor, who worked for Farmer's
Feed and Supply, in the hamlet, spoke with Clifford Ennis on the same subject. Clifford Ennis was a
highly respected -social studies teacher in the Holley School system, who lived on the Holley Byron
Road in the Clarendon hamlet. Ennis who was also an active Democrat in local politics and was a
personal friend of Adiai Stevenson, unsuccessful Presidental candidate in 1952 and 1956. There was
an informal meeting held at Ferguson's Hardware (formerly the Clarendon Brand cheese factory) on
Hulberton Road to discuss the issue further. At that time, the Town of Clarendon contracted with the
Holley Fire Department for fire protection, and apparently there were few Clarendon men who were
members of the Holley Fire Department. Some residents of the northern section of Clarendon
opposed the idea of a Clarendon Fire Company as they lived close to Holley and could expect rapid
response in the event of an emergency. People in the hamlet and south of town felt the opposite way
for obvious reasons. In any case, Holley's fire organization didn't seem to mind Clarendon forming its
own company. A public meeting was held at the old town hall on Fourth Section Road where Clifford
Ennis became the acting president of the proposed Clarendon Fire Company. Ennis called upon
Charles Sevor to come up on the little stage and take minutes of the meeting. This was to become the
first fire company the town has known. The first elected officers were: President- Clifford Ennis, Vice
President- Graydon Stymus, Secretary Harold Westfall, Treasurer- Charles Sevor. Their charter of
incorporation was received from New York State in the summer of 1956. There were actually two
charters. The first one had some legal defect, and had to be remade to send in to the state. Some of the
members that signed the first one did not sign the second [and vice versa], but a motion was made at a
regular meeting that everyone who joined by a certain date would be considered a charter member
whether they had signed the charter or not.The copy of the charter accepted by the State has 92
signatures,including one signed with an x and witnessed. In addition the town board had to pass a
resolution giving permission for the formation of the Fire Company. In June of 1956 the Clarendon
School District #2 closed the stone two room school house adjacent to the Universalist Church in the
hamlet. A meeting was held of eligible voters of the district to determine the future of the school. It was
decided to sell the building for one (1) dollar to the fire company to be converted and used as a firehall.
A few people were annoyed by this because they thought the building Could have been sold for more
money which could be used to lower their school taxes. Apparently a condition of the sale was that the
building should always be used by the Fire Company ,otherwise ownership reverts back to the school
district. A silver dollar was donated for the purchase by charter member Gordon Ferguson. The silver
dollar was a keepsake brought home by ferguson from Texas upon his discharge from the service.
Ironically, Ferguson's house was damaged by fire shortly after the meeting that night. During the
summer of 1956, land was purchased from Gerald Webster behind the town garage to be used as
carnival grounds. The fire company and community were saddened when Clifford Ennis passed away
suddenly in late December 1956, of a heart attack. In 1957 fund raising activities were increased to
raise money to purchase equipment and convert the stone schoolhouse into a firehall. Bingo was the
main source of revenue as well as raffles, barbeques, auctions, and the annual field days. Bingo was
first organized by Dan Gunter and Gordon Ferguson at the Town Hall. Tables and chairs were rented
from the Grange. If extra chairs were needed, planks were put across crates. A Bingo machine was
borrowed from the Byron Fire Department. This consisted of a screen drum With a crank and a door on
one end to remove the balls. Eventually Bingo was moved to the future firehall and held in the two
rooms separated by a stone wall.Removal of this wall to make one Room was one of the first work
projects in the building. Bingo always has been, and still remains a good source of income For the
fire company. The first purchase of equipment was made when the fire company bought a used 1952
Chevrolet truck chassis from Bill Gaylord of Clarendon. This truck had a two speed rear end and six
cylinder engine and eventually became Clarendon #50 as a tank truck. Laverne Williams, who ran a
junkyard on Munger Road, sold them a 1000 gallon tank which he was afraid to cut apart as it had been
used to store flammable liquids. This tank was mounted on the truck chassis and was soon used to
help Holley with its mutual aid calls. Charles Hammerick and Howard Robishaw did most of the work
To construct the compartments and build the body for this truck. It was equipped with a 2 ½ inch gate
valve so water could be pumped Out by a pumper or portable pump.This was changed to a 6 inch
Dump valve after a portable tank was purchased. In 1958 Robert Larnder headed a building
committee. A two-stall engine room was constructed on the south end of the school house at a cost of
$5,000. Other equipment purchased that year included a portable pump, nozzles, and hose for $700.
This portable pump is still owned by the Fire Company. During that summer the first line officers were
elected: Chief- Charles Hammerick, Assistant Chief- Everett Cady, Captain- Ted Fleth, First Lieutenant-
Neal Robishaw, and Second Lieutenant- Edward Roggow. The first order for proper uniforms was
placed; 54 sets of trousers costing $742, 54 caps- $210, and 54 ties at $1 each. Because of a
shortage of fire company funds, each member was required to Pay for his own uniform. The interior of
the engine room was finished in 1959 as well as the kitchen at a cost of $3,500. The hall (formerly
classrooms) was redecorated, an oil hot air furnace installed and George Gaylord rewired the entire
building. A seven and one half horsepower Sterling siren was purchased in 1960 and installed atop
the firehall. Starting in 1960 the following years brought many changes to the Fire Company. In 1960 the
Town of Clarendon was celebrating itÂ’s 150th anniversary [Sesquicentennial]. As part of this
celebration the Fire Company decided on a Larger carnival than in the past few years. Large rides and
many booths and Stands were booked for the carnival grounds. Also the men agreed to march in As
many parades as possible for other fire companies to insure a good turnout of men and equipment for
our parade. On the evening of the Firemens parade,a very large crowd assembled to watch what was
undoubtedly the largest parade ever seen in Clarendon. When the parade was finished,the assembled
crowd started flowing into the carnival grounds and the rides and stands started doing an amazing
Business. Before all the people were on the grounds,the power cut off and all the lights went out. The
circuit breaker on the power transformer Had cut out and shut everything down for the night. By the time
the power company arrived and reset the circuit breaker the crowd was gone. The following morning
the power company crews arrived to install A new,larger transformer and the fire company electricians
installed An additional service drop just to take care of the French fry stand. Men from the Clarendon
Fire Company truck committee visited the Neptune Hose Company in Nunda, New York, to inspect a
1950 Ford pumper which the Nunda Fire Company was expecting to trade soon for another piece of
equipment. This truck was eventually purchased from Young Fire Equipment Company in Lancaster,
New York. It was equipped with a 600 gallon tank,two stage 500 gal./min. pump,third stage high
pressure pump and cost $4,200 used.This vehicle became Clarendon 30 until the third stage pump
was disconnected and it was renumbered as Clarendon 11. This truck remained in service until
November 1982 When it was sold for 500 dollars. With two trucks,Clarendon 50 and Clarendon 30 the
south truck room was full and much discussion occurred about where to put any additional vehicles.
The members finally decided to expand the south truck room to the west to hold two more vehicles and
build a meeting room on the second floor of the addition. The back [West] wall had to remain in place
until the construction was complete to keep the building weather tight to store the trucks and Bingo
players were seated there every week. As part of this construction,two steel beams,each weighing
about one ton, had to be raised and anchored in place. One beam was to be inside the original room to
support the original roof And one side of the new meeting room. The other beam had to be raised in
the center of the new truck room to support the second floor meeting room. The beam inside was
raised with the cooperation of the Town Highway Department Who brought their loader inside the
building and raised the beam with the bucket. When the back tires of the loader were about three
inches off the floor the posts were set under the beam to wait for Howard Robishaw to come and weld it
in place. The second beam was more difficult,because there wasnÂ’t space to get the loader in behind
the truck room where the beam had to go. The easy and expensive solution would be to hire a crane tall
enough to reach across The building and set the beam. A small group of members decided to raise the
beam themselves And save on expenses. To do this twelve 2x4 studs were purchased and nailed
Together to make six 4x4s. These were then used to make two tripods by tying them together with rope.
A short chain was then hung on the top of each tripod To hold two borrowed chain falls. After erecting
the tripods,the bottoms Were secured with rope to prevent slipping on the concrete floor. The chain
falls were then hooked to the beam with two short chains. With one person on each end of the beam to
work the chain falls, the beam rose up in fine style. One end had to go in a hole left in the block wall,so
the far end was raised about an additional foot and crowbars were used to move the beam sideways
in the chains and into The hole. The other end was lowered onto the post and the tripods were left in
place until Howard Robishaw could weld it in place. After construction was complete the West wall of
the original truck Room was removed and there was space for two more vehicles and a new meeting
room. Clarendon's first emergency vehicle (ambulance) was a new 1967 Dodge Van, designated as
Clarendon #65 Although purchased new, it was equipped with used equipment and cost only slightly
more than the $5,000 budgeted.The benches and cabinets Were built of birch plywood by James
Ashbery, a carpenter who lived In the Town of Carlton.This vehicle remained in service until April
28,1973 when it was involved in an accident during an emergency run. Elwyn and Bob Woodworth
became the first Clarendon medics and eventually the first EMS instructors in the fire company.
Following the demise of the original Clarendon 65 ambulance, a 1972 Chevrolet demonstrator was
purchased because it could be delivered right away. This wide-bodied vehicle was used until 1984,
when it was retired at which time a new 1984 Ford ambulance was bought for $26,000. The Holley Fire
Department held the contract for fire protection in Clarendon until the end of 1968, when the town voted
to award the contract to the Clarendon Fire Company for $2,000 for a year's service in 1969. Until this
contract was made with the Clarendon Fire Company, all calls were answered by Holley's emergency
crews regardless of where in Clarendon the emergency was located. The feeling among Clarendon
Fire Company personnel was that Clarendon might never get the contract if Clarendon didn't offer-
ambulance service; this was an important reason why ambulance service was started. Because of a
shortage of medics for the ambulance, members of the Ladies Auxiliary who took the proper training,
worked on the ambulance because Women could not become members of the Fire Company because
of the Bylaws. This situation continued until one of these women hurt her back at a drill in Morton. A
judge said that if she was doing the same work as other members, Then she was legally a member
and the county self insurance had to pay for her back injury. Because of this,after much argument,the
Bylaws were changed so that women could be members. The women who were working as medics
Joined the Fire Company as regular members in 1977. Also in 1968 badges were purchased and
issued for the first time to Active members of the Fire Company. Badge number one was retired in
memory Of Clifford Ennis. Numbers two through eighteen were issued [alphabetically] to the Charter
members still active at that time. Lewis Moore was accidentaly Left off the list, so he received badge
number eighteen. Back then each Fire Department was responsible for receiving their own alarms and
dispatching the appropriate equipment as central dispatching Did not exist.New york Telephone
company was supposed to install a Fire phone System for Clarendon and have it ready to go before
January first when We took over the contract. After assuring us that it would be in place On time,in
December we were told that the parts had not been ordered yet And it would require several months to
install the system.Without the Firephone system someone had to stay at the Firehall to receive alarms.
With the cooperation of Geraldine and Bob Brooks,wires were run from the firehall to her house [which
was next door to the firehall] for the phone and siren and Mrs. Brooks became our Firephone operator
until the phone company Installed a proper system.If Mrs. Brooks wished to go anywhere away from
home She would let the Fire Company know so someone could stay at the Firehall and receive alarms.
Mrs. Brooks still lives next door to the site of the old firehall. The fire phone system,as used in those
days consisted of six Phones,with one at the firehall and five more in different homes in the district.
Each phone had a switch box attached with three position switch. In one position,you could listen but
not talk. Position two would allow you to talk to the caller and get the necessary information about the
call. Position three would set off the siren for the alarm. The person receiving the call would stay on the
line until someone reached the firehall and The call could be relayed to them and logged. This system
did work but had many disadvantages that were cured only with central dispatching. During the early
sixties, Clarendon and Barre Fire companies each bought a 1000 gallon portable tank and held drills to
explore the most efficient use of these new tools. In August of 1967 a brand new Ford Chassis was
purchased from Saulsbury Fire Equipment in Tully, New York, for about $19,000. This vehicle was
outfitted as a tanker with a 2,000 gallon capacity and a 300 gal./min.power take off pump And a six inch
dump valve and was designated Clarendon 51. This truck was rebuilt in 1983 and 1991and again in
1992 after the firehall burned. It was sold in Feb. 1998. Also in 1968 badges were purchased and
issued for the first time to Active members of the Fire Company. Badge number one was retired in
memory Of Clifford Ennis. Numbers two through eighteen were issued [alphabetically] to the Charter
members still active at that time. Lewis Moore was accidentaly Left off the list, so he received badge
number eighteen. The next truck purchased was a 1936 GMC truck with a 200 gallon tank and a 400 gal.
/min. pump. The intent was that this vehicle see parade use only. Bought for $200, this truck was first
purchased for use in Batavia and then Elba until 1969 when it was purchased by Clarendon. The truck
sat in a field for some time and was restored by Ted Fleth and Lew Moore. The restoration process
included a new engine and transmission. This truck is known for a strong pump and has been used to
fill tankers on occasion, has assisted in a few grass fires but never been used on the scene of a major
fire.This truck is presently in storage. In 1970 a new Ford cab and chassis was purchased from Duryea
Ford in March and then sent to Young Fire Equipment in Lancaster, New York, for outfitting as a
pumper. This truck became Clarendon #12 and was put into service in October of 1971, costing a total
of about $39,000 after all the apparatus had been installed. This truck carried a capacity of 750 gallons
of water with a 1,000 gal./min. pump. On July 25, 1981, this truck stalled while fighting a wheat field fire
and was severly burned and out of service until February 8, 1982. This truck was also rebuilt in 1992
after the Firehall burned and was sold with truck 51 in Feb. 1998. In 1970 President Ted Fleth Jr. set up
the executive board In an effort to shorten the regular fire meetings and cut down on some of the
arguments that often took place when some things were discussed at the Regular fire meetings.Some
meetings lasted until 1:00A.M.with some very Heated arguments. The executive board was to consist
of the President,Secretary, Treasurer,Chief and all five Directors. A quorum would be three Directors
And three other officers and would make recommendations to the body, Who would then act on these
recommendations at the regular monthly Meeting. In the years since,the Executive Board has worked
out well With some additions to the members and the duties of the board. In 1970, a "base radio
station" was bought and installed at the firehall. Also about this time the front of the firehall was
modified to permit storage of two trucks Clarendon firemen have received about 100 trophies over the
years for excellence in parades and competitions. On occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Clarendon
Fire Company in 1981, President Ronald Reagan sent a congratulatory letter. Taxpayer support of the
Clarendon Fire Company in 1985 was approximately $44,000. Other activities of the Clarendon Fire
Company have included several carnivals over the years, a fund raising activity that began in 1957. To
prepare the carnival grounds for the first carnival,trees were cut in the woods to the east and used as
poles to support the electric wires on the grounds. The first wires were scraps of copper wire obtained
from R.G.&E. Although these scraps were several different sizes,they were all spliced together to do the
job.George Gaylord installed a 200 amp switch box and electric service on the grounds. The last
carnival was held in 1981. At Halloween time the firemen have prepared a "Spook House" transforming
a barn into a sort of haunted house, where for a nominal charge the customer can be frightened out of
his wits. About 1973/74 the Clarendon Fire Company bought a 1971 Ford Tanker from an individual for
$3,200. Clarendon did considerable work on this truck designating it Clarendon #50. This vehicle was
sold to Kentucky in 1991 for $3,000. A 1966 Chevrolet pickup from Niagara Falls Air Base was donated
by the Civil Defense to Clarendon in February 1976. It was used as a general utility vehicle and carried
portable pumps until it was sold in 1985. Clarendon #30 was bought from the Bergen Fire Department
on September 1, 1982 for about $12,000. This vehicle was a 1962 Ford C950 Pumper/Tanker and
carried 1,000 gallons of water with a 750 gal./min. pump. This truck required no serious refurbishing
and was put into service immediately. It was sold to Kentucky in 1986. A 1958 Ford one-ton rescue
vehicle was bought for $1 in 1983 from the Walker Fire Department. This truck was rebuilt and was
placed in service in 1985. The function of this truck is to carry heavy equipment and rescue equipment
to car accidents, carry several men to parades, and so forth. In 1985 a committee was set up to look
into the purchase of a new Pumper/Tanker to replace Clarendon #30. The truck committee decided on
a 1986 Ford Chassis with a 250hp Cat. diesel and Allison automatic transmission. The body would
have jumpseats (seating behind the cab), a 1,000 gal./min. pump and a 1,000 gallon tank of water. The
unique feature of this truck was the body compartments and tank were fiberglass. At the January 1986
meeting the membership voted to purchase this truck at a cost of $123,000. The truck was
manufactured by Young Fire Equipment in Lancaster, NY. This truck was designated Clarendon #31
and placed in service in October 1986. In the fall of 1989 a truck committee was set up to look into the
purchase of a new tanker. At the June 1990 meeting the membership of the Clarendon Fire Company
voted on the purchase of a 1991 International 2654 chassis with a 245hp diesel and Allison Automatic
transmission from Boyle Motor Sales in Batavia for $39,464.77. This chassis upon being built was
drop shipped to Wolverine Fire Apparatus in Union City, Michigan where a 1,000 gal./min. front mount
pump and the body with a 2,000 gallon tank would be installed for $67,239. The membership also
voted on the purchase of $21,000 worth of equipment for this truck and upgrading Clarendon #12. This
truck was placed in service at the end of June 1991 and designated Clarendon #50. As Clarendon is a
rural area, the fires remembered by long time members are mostly barn fires. Major barn fires in the
past have occurred at the Mathes and Shenck farms on East Lee Road and at the Totter farm on the
Holley Byron Road. Southwest of the hamlet lie Clarendon's muckland farms, which are very
susceptible to fires, as the muck itself burns or smolders. Such a fire can be caused by a carelessly
discarded cigarette. At one muck fire there were fire trucks on the scene for three days. Muck fires can
burn the light, dry soil down into a pit six to eight feet deep, with no flames, which make them difficult
and dangerous to fight. The fire call which will probably remembered the longest happened on July 25,
1981 when Clarendon firemen were summoned to a wheatfield fire at the corner of Wood Road and
Acton Road in the southeast corner of the town. It was a hot, dry, windy day and farmer Jake Schaible
was attempting to tow a hay rake across the harvested wheatfield with his pickup truck when the
exhaust of the truck started a fire in the wheat stubble. The pickup and hay rake were immediately lost
in the fire, which began spreading from the east end of the 80 acre field toward the west. Clarendon,
Holley and Byron equipment responded to the call. There was a day in 1969, a dry summer, when the
Clarendon Fire Company responded to 13 calls in one day which were mostly grass fires. In 1990 the
Clarendon Fire Company responded to 159 ambulance calls and 85 fire calls. One significant
undertaking by the fire company has been the building of the Firemen's Recreation Hall on East Lee
Road. Members of the Clarendon Fire Company requested the Executive Board to proceed with plans
to build a new Firemen's Recreation Hall about 1975. This board consisted of: President Charles
Kinsey, Directors; Robert Woodworth, Ray Koval, Donald Rodas, John Kinsey, and Donald
VanWyngaarden, Secretary Robert Clarke, and Treasurer Michael Lill. The building plans were drawn, a
loan request was filed with the Farmer's Home Administration and the loan approved June 6, 1978.
The building is 175 feet long and 70 feet wide overall, with a dining area measuring 50 by 100 feet, with
a kitchen, bar room and rest room facilities on the north end. On September 25, 1979, President
Charles Kinsey called a special meeting of the fire company for the purpose of approving the final
security agreement with the Farmer's Home Administration. The attendance was good for this meeting
with fifty-five men attending. The vote was fifty- four "for" and one "against". The building was completed
in October 1979 and ready for use. Bingo Chairman Ray Koval, requested he be allowed to open the
building to the public for Bingo. The request was granted and the first Bingo game was held October
31, 1979. The first turkey party was held early in November 1979 with 700 people attending. The
Clarendon Fire Company Ladies Auxilary was organized to aid the fire company and serve the
community. Their charter was recieved in August 1956, and signed by charter members: Bea Crawford,
Constance Gaines, Irene Hammerick, Sophie Cole, Audry Webster, Catherine Ferguson, Margaret
Haight, and Eva Molzahn. The Ladies Auxilary prepared food served at most weddings and banquets in
the Recreation Hall. They prepared the banquet room, served the food and did the kitchen cleanup,
helped by firemen, firewomen, social members and firemen's wives. The Auxilary raised money for the
benefit of the fire company by catering at the Recreation Hall, selling refreshments at bingo, holding
raffles, and similar activities. Money earned by the Auxilary has been used to make mortgage payments
for the hall, and any significant improvements within the Recreation Hall, kitchen equipment, "smoke
eaters" for the dining area, carpeting, as well as, major projects at the firehall. At a Regular meeting of
the fire company in August 1988 the membership present voted to take all afilliation with the Ladies
Auxilary away from them, due to what the fire company classified as misappropriation of funds. A group
of member's wives decided in 1985 not to join the Ladies Auxilary and started their own organization
known as the Clarendon Fire Company Support Unit. They organized to supply refreshments at fire
scenes and for fill-ins. Since that time they have run a Holiday Craft Show every November, an Easter
Egg Hunt for the children in town, work refreshments at Bingo, taken Christmas Baskets stocked full of
food and toys to needy families in town, and sponsored the Fire Company Queens Pageant. The
Queens Pageant was started and overseen by Jeanne Olsen. The Queens of the Clarendon Fire
Company were; 1986 Lisa BOYER 1987 Debbie Pinson 1988 Carson Ferris 1989 Laura
Healey 1990 Amy Whalin One special note Laura Healey went on and won the 1990 Western New
York Volunteer Firemen's Association Queen. The girls in the pageant have been busy during their year
with the fire company raising money to purchase a deluge gun for Clarendon #31, a new stove and
Microwave for the firehall and other things. The old firehall burned on Oct 16 1992. The Official verdict
by the Fire Investigators was that rain water leaked in through the roof [which was being replaced] and
got into the siren controls therby starting an arc which started the fire.
This History was Written by Alan Isselhard with assistance from Patricia Austin and John Kinsey.
Some corrections and additions by Bob Woodworth