1807-1811 Fox Lane

1811-1837 Middle Street, near the corner of Hampshire Street.

1807-1837 “Portland” Hand Engine Company, No. 1.

February 25, 1807 - 

Meeting was held to form a new fire engine company for a hand pump engine that was acquired, giving it the name “Portland.”  

Moses Adams Joseph Cross, Jr. Joseph Swift

Jonathan Bryant Samuel Lord           Jonathan Stevens

Edward Barnwill Isaac McLellan Neal Shaw

James Blanchard William Moody Elias Thomas

John Bartells Enoch Morse Peter Thomas

Oliver Bray           Thomas Merrill, Jr. James B. Tucker

Robert Cross Seth Phillips           William C. Weeks

May 5, 1807 – A Company meeting was held to elect their officers for the ensuing year.  They were:  Robert Cross, 1st Director, Joseph Swift, Sub-Director, and William Moody, Company Clerk.

July 23, 1807 – Town Selectmen approved “Portland” Engine No. 1 Company By-laws.  Article III stated “Every member shall meet at the Engine House at 2 PM on the first Monday of every month for the purpose of examining the state of the engine, and working it if necessary.”  Annual meetings were held on

The first Tuesday of May, and a semi-annual meeting held on the first Tuesday of November.  A request by a company committee on November 4th to the Selectmen was: “to have a new platform raised to the Engine House to make it easy and safe to move the Engine in and out, and to have the door made shorter.” 

April 1, 1811 – Town Meeting; “That placing of Engine Houses be committed to the Fire Wards, to fix- them in such places as they may judge best for the interest of the Town.” (Town records, volume 1, page 508)

May 5, 1811 – Town Meeting; “Except the Fire Wards report, and Selectmen to pay the account of Sarah Fox for Fox Lane rent for the Engine House from May 27, 1807 to May 27, 1811, $5 a year.”(Vol. 1, p-509)

July, 1835 – Engine in poor condition and sold to Thayer Co. in Boston.  Company members continued to respond to fires and attend meetings, but a new Thayer Co. engine (Casco) was given the number 1.

February 16, 1836 – Portland and Extinguisher Engine Companies held a Special Meeting, to ask the City to purchase a new Engine and to form the two companies into a new Engine Company. 

March 9th, 1836 – Portland Engine Company held their last annual meeting.

January 30, 1837 – “Portland” and “Extinguisher” Engine Companies held a joint meeting to form a new engine company for the new 1836 Thayer engine recently purchased by the City.  The new Company was formed on February 25th, as “Portland” Engine Company, No. 5.

January 30, 1837 – Joint meeting held by the “PORTLAND” and “EXTINGUISHER” Hand Engine Companies to re-organize into a new Company, as “Portland” Hand Engine Company No. 5.