Former Fire Companies
Through the years, there have been fire companies that were started, and for whatever reason they no longer exist. Some were redundant, some disappeared due to a lack of members, or a lack of interest. Some were decertified by the municipality that they served, and I'm sure there are other reasons. We will attempt to maintain a list of former fire companies that at one time served York County.
York City
Resolution Hose Company
In January of 1835, a bill was introduced to incorporate the Resolution Hose Company of York. The Resolution's engine house was located in the first block of South George Street, on land that is presently occupied by Christ Lutheran Church. The Resolution seems to have disappeared around the end of the Civil War, and was disbanded around 1868.
Hand-In-Hand Fire Company
The Hand-In-Hand Fire Company was organized in 1772. They were located in the first block of North Beaver Street.
Member Jacob Schultz of the Hand-In-Hand was appointed to hold the key to the German Reformed Church on West Market Street. In the event of a fire, he was to sound the alarm by ringing the church bell. That church was destroyed in a spectacular fire in July of 1797.
What happened to the Hand-In-Hand Fire Company requires further research.
Federal Fire Company
In 1780, a meeting of the fire companies of the town was held, and a committee of three appointed from each of the fire companies, the Laurel, the Federal, and the Union, asked the town officials to purchase buckets for the companies. The town refused to buy the buckets. The Laurel opted to purchase their own buckets, and the Federal dissolved shortly thereafter.
It is possible that the Hand-In-Hand Fire Company may have reorganized as the Federal Fire Company, but this possibility requires further research.
York County
Bair Community Fire Company
On November 3, 1923, residents of the Village of Bair (or Bair Station) in the southwestern area of West Manchester Township met and foirmed the Bair Community Fire Company to provide fire protection to their community. On October 23, 1933, the Bair Community Fire Company was granted a charter as a non-profit corporation. Paragraph two of that charter reads: "The purpose for which said corporation is formed is the controlling and extinguishing of fires."
West Manchester Township passed an ordinance, No. 88-10, effective January 1, 1989, of which Section 5 read: "The authority of Bair to fight fires or to provide fire protection within the confines of West Manchester Township is revoked upon the effective date of this ordinance."
The Bair Community Fire Company remained for a few years as a mutual aid response only fire company, but eventually dissolved, with many of their members joining the nearby Nashville Volunteer Fire Company in Jackson Township.
Lewisberry Community Fire Company
The Lewsberry Community Fire Company was orgainzed in the little borough of Lewisberry, in northern York County, around 1840. Unfortunately, the 21st century was not kind to the fire company.
Being physically located in Lewisberry borough, made the borough responsible for the fire company's worker's compensation coverage. With the borough only 1/10th of a square maile, with less than 400 residents, and very little commercial properties, it was a financial nightmare for the borough to cover a fire company that primarily responded outside the borough limits.
In addition, there was a series of mismanagement issues involving the officers of the fire company, the worst being the President and Fire Chief embezzling more than $11,000 from the fire company treasury beginning in 2007. Both resigned in 2010 and were charged by police in 2012 after the loss was discovered and investigated. Mired in debt, the company closed down in November of 2011. The fire company sold the building to the borough, and fire coverage is now provided by the Fairview Township Fire Department, which uses the Lewisberry station as a satellite station.
Conewago Volunteer Fire Company
The Conewago Volunteer Fire Company was orgainzed in May of 1951 in northern East Manchester Township. They operated out of a building along Little Conewago CReek Road, and ran a 1933 Seagrave chemical and hose truck, painted black. The company dissolved in May of 1958, donating its Seagrave chemical wagon, know as "Black Moriah" to the Union Fire Company of Manchester, and donating the remainder of their treasury to the Union Fire Company of Manchester and the Strinestown Community Fire Company.
Railroad Fire Company
The Railroad Fire Company was formed to provide fire protection to the area around Railroad Borough in southern York County. This company requires further research. There is a hand-drawn piece of fire apparatus from the company in the York County Fire Museum, and I have seen a newspaper article from October of 1951 about a fire the company responded to.
Tri-Hill Fire Company
The Tri-Hill Fire Company was organized early in 1944 in the southern end of Spring Garden Township. It was organized to protect the residents of Southwood Hills, Hillcrest and Hillcroft. A 500 gallon pump, mounted on a trailer, was their original apparatus and was initially housed in the Hillcroft neighborhood. The company was chartered in October of 1944. There were several fund-raising picnics held in 1944 to fund the erection of a garage for the trailer mounted pump. The company was described as an auxiliary unit to the Victory and Grantley fire companies. Newspaper coverage of the company ends after 1944.
Friendship Fire Company No. 8
The Friendship Fire Company was orgainzed in the Windsor Park area of Spring Garden Township in the spring of 1903. Newspaper articles describe the construction of their first engine house in 1904. The wood frame station was built on a lot with a 20 foot frontage on Franklin Street, and was built by the members of the fire company.
Friendship would eventually erect a brick fire station, and purchase motorized apparatus. The company would become one of the three fire companies to protect Spring Garden Township, aloing with the Victory and Grantley for companies.
Goodwill Fire Company of Grangeville
The Goodwill Fire Company of Grangeville was orgainzed in Penn Township, just outside the borough of Hanover in 1922. They would become on of three fire companies that would protect Penn Township, along with the Friendship Fire Company of Pennville and the Parkville Fire Company.
Hanover Fire Company No. 1
The Hanover Fire Company No. 1was orgainzed in the borough of Hanover on December 21, 1816. It was the first fire company organized in York County outside of the greater York area. It would eventually become one of the three fire companies to protect Hanover Borough, along with the Eagle Fire Company No. 2 and the Clearview Fire Company.
Around November of 2006, the Hanover Fire Company No. 1 was released by the Borough of Hanover, and no longer provided fire protection or emergency medical service to the borough. They continued to operat for a short time as an ambulance service outside of Hanover.
Any additions, corrections and/or comments are welcomed.