Please help repair and preserve our fire engine.



Funds Needed to Repair Fire Engine

The Paris Fire Department’s former 1927 fire engine has been found and brought back to Paris! The 91-year-old American LaFrance was near Portland, Oregon, almost 2,300 miles away from its original home in the old city hall on the south side of the court square. The Henry County Historical Society needs help to repair and preserve the apparatus.

“We are excited about not only the discovery of the apparatus, but also because it is in great condition considering its age,” said David Webb, historical society president. “It is fully equipped with a bell, siren, ladders, hoses, nozzles, etc. Its original paint, gold leaf pin striping and scrolls, and even lettering spelling out PARIS FIRE DEPARTMENT, are still visible.”

The City of Paris owned the “pumping and hose car” from 1928 until it was retired and sold at auction to J.R. Hayes  in 1964. In the 1980s, it was acquired by Myron and Betty Lou Curtis of Portland, Oregon, who traveled across the United States and Canada collecting horse drawn vehicles and other antiques.

In 2016, the engine was donated by the Curtis family to Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue in Tigard, Oregon, and it became part of the fire department’s collection of antique firefighting equipment. Auxiliary volunteers participate in community events such as auto shows and parades.

Once Webb learned of the pumper’s whereabouts, he wrote to the fire department’s chief and CEO, Michael Duyck, to inquire if it was possible for the engine to return to Paris. Webb received a favorable reply, and TVF&R and the Curtis family supported transferring ownership of the engine back to its original hometown. “We are grateful to TVF&R for donating the fire engine,” said Webb.

As a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization, the historical society is asking as many individuals and organizations as possible to make monetary and in-kind donations of both large and small amounts that may be tax deductible. Donors will be recognized at various levels, and current or former firefighters may be honored through contributions.

“It will take a community effort to support the transportation, repair, restoration, and preservation of this fire engine for generations to come,” said Webb. “The immediate need is to raise funds to make needed engine repairs. Financial or in-kind help is needed for engine and body restoration, insurance, gasoline, oil, tires, spark plugs, batteries, regular maintenance, etc.”

“Paris Fire Chief Michael Williams has agreed to temporarily house the engine at Fire Station 2 near the Henry County Medical Center. The next steps will be to get the motor in excellent running condition and restore the body,” said Webb.

The engine will go through detailed evaluations to determine its exact needs. Plans are for the apparatus to be repainted to its factory color scheme of two-tone red accented with gold leaf details.

“We would like to bring in a restoration expert from North Carolina to reproduce the original lettering, striping, and scrolls. The artist maintains detailed patterns and the various levels of decoration that American LaFrance offered on fire engines from the 1920s,” said Webb.

After restoration work has been completed, the fire engine will need a place to be permanently stored, exhibited, and driven out for events. “We envision to have the fire engine in parades, antique automobile shows, schools, senior centers, churches, businesses, etc.,” said Webb. “It may be possible to fit out the hose bed for the transportation of caskets for funeral services,” said Webb. “We don’t want the vehicle to just sit in a storage facility or a museum exhibit, but to be out and about as an important part and symbol of our community.”

The apparatus has a bell that was rung at Barton Field each time the Grove High School football team scored. “It would be great if we could revive that tradition at Henry County High School football games at Patriot Stadium,” said Webb.

Webb has researched the history of the vehicle by combing through newspaper records at the Henry County Archives and looking through his father’s collection of historical photographs. “My dad, Wayne Webb, who retired from the Paris Fire Department, really came through with some nice images of the engine, including its last ceremonial run in 1964. 

Webb’s findings reveal the state’s fire inspection bureau repeatedly recommended the city increase its firefighting capability because of its substantial building growth. The city fathers agreed, so a committee was formed in 1928 to consider the purchase of a new “combination pumping, chemical, and hose truck.”

A three-man committee was appointed, that included Mayor Ed M. Culley, to review bids from three fire apparatus companies. In February, 1928, the city council signed the contract to purchase a “new pumping and hose car” from the American LaFrance-Foamite Corporation of Elmira, New York. For $11,500 and the trade-in of the 18-year-old existing vehicle, the city purchased a new fire engine as well as an 11-year-old pumper from Hickman, Kentucky.

The 1927 LaFrance was shipped to Paris on March 4, 1928. The 10,000-pound vehicle has a six-cylinder 130 horsepower engine, dual chain rear axle drive, wooden artillery wheels, and a 750 gallon per minute rotary gear pump with four hose connections. The vehicle was described as “modern in every respect.” As reported in The Parisian newspaper, “the City of Paris will be one of the best equipped of the smaller cities in the state insofar as fire fighting equipment is concerned.”

Donations toward the project can be made to the Henry County Historical Society, c/o President David Webb, 2316 Hamlin Dr., Paris, TN 38242. For online donations, the historical society has set up this GoFundMe account. For more information or to request a guest speaker, contact Webb at [phone redacted] or [email redacted].