Fire Engines and Fire Hydrants - Elmira, New York

The distinctive American-La France fire engines are still around today. The headquarters and manufacturing were located in Elmira, New York until the mid 1990s;  now they are located in South Carolina.  I am not a big fan of motorized vehicles in general, but some of the old fire engines are really very beautiful. It's not surprising that there are fire engine enthusiasts, but you may be surprised to know that there is a national organization called the Society for the Preservation and Appreciation of Antique Motor Fire Apparatus in America (SPAAMFAA) with about 50 chapters nationwide! You too could be a member and probably get a great t-shirt.

The Kennedy Valve Co., founded in 1877, manufactured fire hydrants and was also located in Elmira (and still is!)  Elmira was the one-stop-shopping place for all of your fire-fighting needs. If you didn't think fire hydrants could be beautiful and interesting, take a look at this page from the fire hydrant website. You will notice that the pictured hydrants are marked by location, with some designated as being in a private collection. Yes, there are people who collect fire hydrants. I don't have any desire to collect them, but since I looked at this card, I started paying a little bit more attention to them and noticed that several of the hydrants in our neighborhood in Oregon were manufactured by the Kennedy Valve Co. in Elmira. Unfortunately, now my neighbors have seen me taking pictures of fire hydrants and are probably convinced I've lost my mind. The relentless Oregon rain will do that; I'm not even sure we need fire hydrants here.