Museum information

Tom Champion

 

Made to enlighten all of you about our Fire & Police Museum, and how it all came to pass. As well as the history of the Railroads & the Fire Departments. Also a brief history of the Pension Fund that protects you and your families.

 

The connections between the Fire Departments and the Railroads have a long history together. During the beginning of the 1840’s Chauncey Rose brought the Railroad to Terre Haute. Making this the second Railroad in Indiana. Where it went as far East as Richman, Indiana.

 

The first shops for this Railroad were located here in Terre Haute at 10^th.

and Chestnut streets. Most of the workers were Railroad men, hired from

the Eastern United States. As that is where the Railroad originally began.

 

Due to the input from the Railroad being here and its large shops, the city was expanding. Meaning more Fire Companies were needed. There for the railroad workers became a large part of our Volunteer Fireman network. Starting in 1910 the first motorized Fire Truck came by way of the railroad. All others were transported by rail up until the 1940¹s.

 

This was just the beginning connection between the Terre Haute Fire Departments and the Railroad. Some of the other events are as follows.

 

Railroad Fires

 

 

May 17, 1887- 11:15pm. The Railroad Car Works at ₁₀th and Crawford was ablaze. The total loss was $ 24,012.00. It took the fireman two days to get the fire under control.

 

August 10, 1893 - 3:57 pm. Another fire at the Railroad Car Works. The fireman used nine 2-½  foot hoses on this fire. It also lasted for two days.

 

September 1944. All off duty firefighters were called to North Terre Haute. To help in the C & E I Railroad collision of two Steam Engines. Twenty-Three airmen on their way back from World War 2 were killed. I was there

 

Fall 1964. A C & E I Railroad train sets the weeds on fire at the South end of the Baker yards. Which was located at 19^th. & Lockport Road. Two men died in this fire.

 

September 30, 1968. Early morning hours on this day found a ten-car derailment. Located at the intersections of 10^th. & Walnut Streets. This being the C & E I railroad. The rail workers had to use cutting torches to cut apart some of the cars. Pump#5 stood by.

 

March 18, 1974. The New York Central Railroad had a wreck at 6 ‘/2 and Tippecanoe Street. Two cars were on their sides. Rupturing one of the tank cars at it’s end. Causing it to spill a highly volatile Chloride Gas. The Fire Chief ordered an immediate evacuation of four hundred residents from the surrounding area. We then sealed the leak with wooden wedges and string lead. We did this while working along side with the railroad crew.

 

August 19, 1978. We had another bad derailment, this line a total of eleven cars were on their sides. One of the ears, which contained a compressed gas, caught on fire. Which made it hard to put out. We worked on putting it out all night. I was hit by a charge nozzle and had to be taken to the hospital to be examined.

 

Many fires were called in from the five different railroads that came through our city. Boxcars were made of wood, and hot boxing would cause the fires. Sparks from the wheels and the engine would also start fires.

 

On two separate occasions I had to take the Pump Crew to the railroad and pump water into the tanks of the engine. One of the times it was only five above zero.

 

Now you can see a brief history of how the Fire Departments and the Railroads tie in together here in Terre Haute. We have been asked by many of our visitors to include a history of the Railroad in our Museum.

 

One of our retired Fire Fighters (Harold Sehi) donated his Lionel Train collection to us. Asking only that it be displayed for all to enjoy. This set is valued at $ 1,500.00. Also two more sets came to us from visitors from Pennsylvania.

 

We are the only Museum in our area with this type of display. There will be lots of action in these displays. The children of Davis Park School enjoyed the railroad display when they toured the Museum this year.

 

 

Terre Haute Fire Department Pension

 

How It Was Organized

 

 

In the early days, starting with the volunteers, from 1838 up until 1894 there was no Pension Protection.

 

In 1895 the Terre Haute Firefighter’s went to the Indiana Legislators, to get a law passed. This was to create a Pension System for the Firefighter’s and Police Officers. For the protection of the men while on duty and when they retired.

 

This was the beginning of the protection, which we have today. To get the pension started the Fireman had to help finance it’s start up. So they turned to the entertainment companies for help. Band Concert Operas, and Circus’s were booked in the city. For which the Pension Fund received a percentage of all ticket sales.

 

During 1908 and 1910 a motion picture company came to Terre Haute, to make movies of the Fire Departments in action. The film was shown at the theater with great success. The proceeds from this going to the Pension Fund. We still have the film here at the Fire & Police Museum. It is great

 

A Circus was booked in 1922 and had a large turn out. All the funds were turned over to the pension board.

 

Carnivals were booked at the Deming Show Grounds located at ₂₅th and Wabash Avenue each year. The Pension Fund received a percentage of the gross. This writer remembers seeing all of these events at this location back in the 1930’s.

 

A food company here also offered I cent for each wrapper from one of their canned foods. The fireman on their days off would go up and down the city alley ways, getting the cans out of the trash, and pull the labels off. They would then redeem them at the company. All money was then turned over to the pension fund.

 

At one time the pension fund had increased to a point that the city borrowed from it. To improve the streets and sewer system.