Nebraska City

When not fighting fire, Nebraska City firefighters would show off their strength, agility, and bravery in competitions throughout the Midwest. This 1883 photograph shows Ira Goldin (left) and William Lasher of Company No. 1 as the champion hose couplers at a competition in Omaha. Goldin owned a confectionery and ice cream parlor in downtown Nebraska City, and Lasher was chief engineer at Great Western Cereal Mills. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Museum of Firefighting.)

Perhaps while the men at this fire company meeting were eating their dinner they discussed the worst fire disaster in Nebraska City history. On May 12, 1860, a fire that began in a butcher shop at Sixth Street and First Corso was soon out of control. At the time, there was only a bucket brigade, which had been formed in 1856. The men had only six 10-foot ladders and filled their own wagons with poles, buckets, and lanterns when they went to fight a fire. More than 40 buildings were destroyed in the fire of 1860, both business and residential, leading to $100,000 in property loss. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Museum of Firefighting.)

This 1887 photograph of the Otoe Hook and Ladder Company was taken on North Sixth Street between Central and First Avenues. The old St. Mary’s Catholic Church is behind the men, and the unpaved Sixth Street is visible through the trees as it heads north. Nebraska City is home to the oldest fire department in the state; the Otoe Hook and Ladder Company No. 1 officially formed on November 28, 1861. The Nebraska City Fire Company No. 1 began in 1865, and the Great Western Fire Company No. 1 organized in 1869. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Museum of Firefighting.)

In 1888, a hydrant system was installed throughout town, and this horse-drawn reel was hooked to the hydrant. In the background is the original fire hall, built in 1872. It burned in 1901, and a new hall was constructed on the same spot. The current Nebraska City Museum of Firefighting at 1320 Central Avenue was designed to look like the original fire hall. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Museum of Firefighting.)

The 1901 fire hall also housed city hall. The brick building was located on the east side of Sixth Street between Central and First Avenues. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Museum of Firefighting.)

This 1900 parade on the 900 block of Central Avenue shows two longtime fixtures of the fire department. Driving the wagon is White Handley, and next to him is Chief Mike Bauer. Bauer was in the department for 67 years and served as chief for 31 years. The fire department purchased its first motorized vehicle in 1916, and its fleet of horses was officially retired in 1923. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Museum of Firefighting.)

In 1906, all three fire companies (Otoe Hook and Ladder Company No. 1, the Nebraska City Fire Company No. 1, and Great Western Fire Company No. 1) joined together to create the Nebraska City Volunteer Fire Department. This photograph from a 1907 parade shows a fire wagon in front of the Bartling Grain Company at Central Avenue and Eleventh Street. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Museum of Firefighting.)

The Marcus Hotel at the southwest corner of Sixth Street and Central Avenue was built in 1871 and later irreparably damaged in 1936. Nine firemen were injured fighting the blaze. After the fire, bricks from the Marcus Hotel were gathered and reused in other building projects. (Both courtesy of the Nebraska City Museum of Firefighting.)

Nebraska City firefighters welcomed the first steam pumper in 1884. Used for many years, the contraption was pulled by hand, although the firemen did hook it up to horses when displaying it in parades. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Museum of Firefighting.)

Costing just under $7,000, the Nebraska City Volunteer Fire Department welcomed the Seagrave Fire Engine Pumper No. 2 to its arsenal in July 1938. (Courtesy of the Nebraska City Museum of Firefighting.)

Firefighters invited children to ride around town in the Seagrave during Fire Prevention Week. Since its inception, the Nebraska City Volunteer Fire Department has focused much of its energy on educating the public about fire safety and fire prevention. Although the Seagrave has been retired from service for many years, it joins the first steam pumper and other apparatus on display at the Nebraska City Museum of Firefighting, which opened to the public in 2008. (Both courtesy of the Nebraska City Museum of Firefighting.)