The 1873 Silsby Steam Fire Pumper

The Silsby steam fire engine pictured above was purchased in 1873 after a disastrous fire swept through Cambridge. The gentleman pictured with the old engine is T.W. Scott, an early fire chief of Cambridge and a local businessman. T.W. Scott was the fire chief for twenty-five years.  The first fire department was known as the Rescue Hook and Ladder Company. The fire engine was purchased form the Silsby Manufacturing company of Seneca Falls New York. It was purchased for $6,500, weighed 3,600 lbs and was hand-drawn. Newspaper accounts revealed that "within four and a half minutes after a fire was started in it, a stream of water could be thrown over the tops of trees and houses".  The Silsby engine came with a ladder wagon and 1,400-ft of fire house. This equipment was stored in the basement of the Town Hall. The engine is now housed in the fire station and taken out occasionally for functions.