Ocean County New Jersey

History
Toms River Volunteer Fire Company No. 1
Fourth of July Parade 1909

In this photograph, taken in 1909, the firefighters are preparing for the Fourth of July Parade in front of the Toms River School with Chief R.C. Buckwalter and the fire company's first wagon.

The Toms River Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 was organized on January 10, 1898 with 25 members, in the aftermath of two local fires. The company was started with 100 buckets purchased with membership dues and in time raised funds to purchase a fire engine and to build an engine house. On May 28, 1898, an election was held and Fire District No. 1 was formed. Also in that year, the Toms River Water Company became operational, and the town now had a hydrant system. This change allowed the fire company to purchase hoses, nozzles and hose carts for firefighting. When there was a fire, the members would pull and push the hose carts to the scene, hook the hoses to the nearest hydrant and fight the fire. This was a significant improvement to the fire protection of the town at that time.

The Toms River School, shown in this photograph, was built in 1900 and made it possible for the students of the Village School on Homer Street to move across the street into eleven new classrooms. Two teachers composed the high school faculty that first year. This building served as the high school from the 1920s until Toms River High School South replaced it in the 1960s. It is currently used for classroom instruction for special education and alternative learning for high risk students.


to the Ocean County History Page