1922 Ford Model T Howe Pumper

This fire truck was put into service in New Portland, Maine, a community of about 800, in June of 1922. Big fire trucks were not practical, both in size and expense, for rural communities. To fill this need, fire equipment manufacturers built lighter-duty apparatus on car chassis, in this case that of a Model T.

The Howe Fire Apparatus Company installed a large three-cycle piston pump that could move water at a rate of 250 gallons a minute. The suction hose for the pump, draped across the front of the truck while driving, permitted the drawing of water from a well or pond if available. A booster tank mounted under the hose reel allowed the firefighters to also carry a supply of water.

New Portland suffered a devastating fire on April 28, 1919 in which 18 houses and a school burned. Perhaps in the wake of that event, local officials considered a new fire truck to be a wise purchase.

Generous gift of Andrew W. Edmonds

More from our automobile collection:

In our current exhibit, From Carriage to Classic: How Automobiles Transformed America, we present the origin story of the American automobile through 23 cars from Heritage’s permanent collection of antique and classic automobiles. Come along for a ride from the late 1800s to the 1960s and watch the car evolve from a horseless carriage to a streamlined symbol of freedom and independence.