Quequechan Engine Company Badge
Sound the alarm, it’s Tiny Tuesday!
This stunningly detailed, silver badge was created for the 1st Director of the Quequechan Engine Company of Fall River. The badge is hand engraved with the firefighter’s rank, name, and company, as well as a design of a 19th century steam engine. This piece belonged to Lot Thatcher Sears (1834-1911), who was listed as the Company’s Acting Foreman in 1872. Sears was a carpenter in Fall River and later a proprietor of a variety store. He would later be elected as 2nd Vice President for the Veteran Firemen’s Association in 1896.
Fall River’s first steam engine was purchased in 1859, known as Quequechan No. 1. It was manufactured by the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company of Manchester, NH. Weighing an impressive 7,700 lbs, the piece featured a “first class rotary engine.” The first use of Quequechan No. 1 was on March 9, 1859, during which the engine doused a fire on Central Street. Though the engine had been in use since late winter, the Quequechan Engine Company would not be officially assembled until December 1859!
This artifact was recently acquired by the FRHS and joins our collection pertaining to the firefighting history of the city.