History

During the early years after the founding of the Town of Meredith, firefighting was done on a catch as catch can basis using whatever was at hand and by any and all means that were available.

In 1859, a group of fifty men formed the original fire company. They worked and saved until they could acquire a second hand Hunneman Hand Tub fire pump from the City of Lowell, Massachusetts. With eight to ten men to hook up the hoses and then operate the pump sweeps, this cumbersome piece of equipment could put out a pretty decent stream of water up to about a one hundred foot distance.

When it arrived in Meredith, the hand tub had already been in service in Lowell for ten years and had the name Wamesit painted on its sides. This was the original Indian name for that area of Massachusetts and to this day the name "Wamesit" is prevalent in Lowell history.

The hand tub was the sole piece of fire fighting equipment used by Meredith until 1895. It had its limitations as to how far it could travel and where it could be used. A good source of water was needed to keep it supplied. A two horse hitch was needed to move it over the road any distance but a team of firefighters manned the traces for the short hauls.

In 1894, the Town of Meredith voted to build the start of the present day water system including a system of hydrants. The water coming from the newly built reservoir off the Parade Road greatly improved Meredith's in-town fire fighting capabilities.

January 2, 1895 marked a new era in the town's fire department. The old hand tub company was disbanded and the "new" Meredith Fire Department was created. The men chose to call themselves the Wamesit Hose Companies 1 and 2 and the Wamesit Hook and Ladder Company out of respect for their predecessors.


AddressP.O. Box 494
Meredith, NH 03253