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HARTFORD HEROES: THE HORACE B. CLARK PHOTO COLLECTION Almost everyone as a child is asked at one point or another, what do you want to be when you grow up? What do many little kids answer? Fireman! There is a certain fascination with firemen and firefighting that grabs peoples attention. They are ready everyday to race to an alarm and put themselves at risk to save other peoples' lives and property. Horace B. Clark was one such person who was fascinated with anything and everything to do with firefighting. The Connecticut Historical Society has a collection of over 30 photo albums that Clark put together throughout his life. Some albums are photos of various fires throughout the country and throughout the world, but 19 of these albums are of the Hartford Fire Department. They contain photographs from many different sources, including some that he took himself. They range all the way from the turn of the century to the 1940s. Clark was born on June 22, 1875. He grew up in Hartford, and lived and worked there for much of his life. He worked his way up through the ranks of the Hartford Courant, as a reporter, then the state news editor, assistant city editor, and finally becoming secretary from 1914-1941. He devoted much of his spare time to following the fire department. He was named to the Fire Board in 1907, became its president from 1909 to 1919, and then served intermittently from 1926-1938. When he lived in Hartford, his house was rigged with a fire alarm that was connected to the department's alarm. When the alarm went off, he would pull on his rubber boots and his coat, and rush to the scene. He often carried a camera and took pictures. If he felt that something the firemen did could be improved, he would use the photographs to show the firemen what could be done to fix the problem. In this collection you will see photographs of the men who helped to build the Hartford Fire Department, the equipment they worked with, the buildings they worked from, and a few of the fires that they fought. The faces may have changed over the years, and the equipment most certainly has, but their dedication to protecting the city remains the same. Currently the Hartford Fire Department is one of only 25 Class One departments in the country.
THE FIREFIGHTERS
THE EQUIPMENT
Horace B. Clark was instrumental in bringing modern equipment
to the Hartford Fire Department. When he was first appointed as Fire Commissioner
in 1907, there was one piece of mechanical equipment, a hose wagon at Engine
Company No. 2. Ten years later there was only one horse-drawn unit left. You
can see from these photos just how the equipment of the Hartford Fire Department
has changed over the years. We can look back to the days when horses had to
be hooked up to the apparatus and would charge through the streets, to engines
steaming away at full speed, to the most modern "stream-lined" engine
you could get in the 1940s.more images... STEAM ENGINE NO. 1
This Clapp & Jones steam pumper, first put in service in 1912
as No. 1, was very much like 19th century horse-drawn steam engines.
In 1914 it was modernized by the addition of an American & British gas-electric
tractor. It saw many years of service with the Hartford Fire Department and
still survives today in remarkably good condition. Current plans call for its
restoration.more images... THE FIRES
While New York, Chicago and other cities have experience huge
conflagrations that destroyed many blocks of their downtown areas, there has
never been a "Great Hartford Fire." Most of the credit can go to the
Hartford Fire Department. The department has continually been recognized throughout
the years as one of the finest in the country. Here is a look at some of the
fires that they have faced in the past; some large, some small, but all potentially
dangerous.more images... THE STATIONS
In the early days, Hartford firefighters slept in the stations
at night, but during the day they would have to rush away from other jobs when
the fire alarm sounded. Beginning in 1908, the department changed from a call
to a permanent basis, with firemen posted at the stations at all times. Horace
B. Clark documented the changing appearance of Hartford Fire Stations over the
years, often including views of the same station at different dates.more images...
The Graphics Collection is open to the public by appointment from 1:00 to 5:00, Monday through Friday.For an appointment call Nancy Finlay, Curator of graphics, at (860) 236-5621 ext. 236. Copies and permissions information
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