In 1857, the fire department of South Bend purchased a hand-pump fire engine they used for some 15 years. It was a style called “piano-type” (because it looked a bit like a piano on wagon wheels) and was made by the Button Corporation of Waterford, New York.

A stalwart of its day, the machine was sold to the town of Bremen in 1874. Bremen’s volunteer fire department used it for many years. In 1894, it was even loaned back to South Bend for a parade. In 1902, we sold it on to a Massachusetts firm who lodged it with the town of Malden.

1894-06-29 - Hand Fire Engine sent for parade - Bremen Enquirer
1902-04-18 - old fire engine sold to Malden MA - Bremen Enquirer

The Malden folks gave the old gal a new coat of paint and christened her “The Converse” in honor of their revered fire commissioner, Colonel Harry Converse.

1905 or so - Bremen's old Button hand fire engine sold to Malden in 1902 - named Converse

Today, the old “Converse” 1857 Button hand-pump fire engine is being renovated by the folks of the Waterford Historical Museum in New York and remains a valued part of their–and our–history. You can find more information about such antique fire engines from them.

In addition to his work with the fire commission, Harry was the head of the Boston Rubber Company and a yachtsman. After he died in 1920, his widow, Mary [Parker] Converse, also an avid sailor, became the only woman of her time to get officially licensed as a sea captain, thus allowing her to sail her own yacht.