Webbs Mills Fire Department

Webbs Mills Fire Department, the first fire department in the town of Southport, was organized on November 27, 1933. One of the reasons the fire department was organized was that the Elmira fire Department was the closest fire protection in the area and it took 20-30 minutes to arrive at the scene. Also because the rules of the Elmira Fire Department, they had to have a guarantee of fifty dollars before they would respond and after they arrived at the scene, they couldn't take their trucks off the roadway so they didn't have any water to fight the fire after they expelled their water tanks.

The first truck bought by the company was a used 1919 Reo foam truck, which was purchased in 1933. The truck was kept at the Cassidy residence which was two houses from Black's Mill. Earney Black was the driver of the fire engine.

In the center of the little community of Webbs Mills, on the east side of the road, stood an iron frame, from which hung a huge metal ring. The mechanism, which never failed to arouse interest and curiosity of motorists, was an important phase of Webbs Mills civic life, for it was the first means of notifying the men of a striking the drive wheel from an old locomotive, which was known as the "gong". This rim came off an old locomotive driving wheel, five feet in diameter which was secured from the Pennsylvania Railroad. Franklin J. Hollenbeck and his brother George, from castings mad in a shop on the Hollenbeck's property, built the metal frame from which the rim gong was hung. The gong was located at Frazer's store, which was across from the Cassidy garage, which housed the truck. According to Robert H. Black of the Webb Mills Fire Commission, "When you hit the rim with that sledge, you could hear a mile in any direction." That mile was all that was required, for the territory served by Webbs Mills apparatus takes in just that area. The LaFrance truck had a siren but in was a resounding blow on the old locomotive wheel rim that called forth Webbs Mills firemen. The gong now hangs next to station #1.

The Webbs Mills Fire Department was incorporated on May 26, 1948. At this time, station #1 which had two bays was built on the property owned by Charles Satterlee. In 1949 the company purchased the deed for the property for one dollar. In the following years three more bays were built along with a meeting hall, radio room, kitchen, members room, and a chief’s office.