DID YOU KNOW

Barbara Hance is the mother Art Hance who was a member of this Department.  She lived on Lamington Road and was related to the Hance family whose farm was next to the firehouse.

She recalls that before the firehouse was built, the fire engine was quartered behind the Methodist Church in the old horse barns and that the church bell was the fire alarm.

The house she was born in 1925 burned down in May of 1962.  As a child of 6 or 7 years old she remembers the old blacksmith shop which was dark inside with the forge going to shod a horse.

She remembers the celebration and dedication of the firehouse in the winter of 1934.  She recalls it was a terribly cold night and her father, Ross Burdette, a past captain, had to go home during the dinner to check the furnace and her mother who was ill.  She thinks that William Laydens, Arthur ”Kid” Lane, Roger Hall, William Reger, John Stone and Joseph Hance were there.  It was a big party and many of the cars wouldn’t start due to the intense cold.

One of the company’s money making activities was the Friday night dances that were held upstairs with Frazier’s Orchestra.  Mrs. Frazier played the piano and her three sons Ray, Bill, and Wolfie played instruments.  A big feature was square dancing and the caller was Ed Porter and later Bill Cole.  “Kid” Lane made his famous ice cream which was always on sale.  The ice cream was turned by hand and he had two twenty quart freezers.

She remembers that the Layden daughters, Anita and Muriel had their wedding receptions at the firehouse.  Muriel Layden married Leavitt Dilts who became a member of the department and held a number of executive offices before he became a Life Member. 

During the summers in the 30’s the annual Wishbone Fair was held in the big field next to the old Grange Hall.  It later became known as the firemen’s carnival and all the monies went to the fire department.  It was first sponsored by the Ladies Aid Society.  It was a big gala event with a big dance floor and the Frazier’s Orchestra performed.  Roger Hall was always found in the ticket booth who sold all the tickets for each dance.  The Grange Hall is now a residence where the current Fire Chief lives. 

She remembers the first time she voted in a presidential election was in the downstairs meeting room of the firehouse.  The booths were wood construction with canvas sides and the flap you lifted to get in to vote.  A pencil was tied fast for your use and paper ballots were deposited outside in a ballot box. 

In the late 1940’s the Whitehouse Village Players was formed with director Sam Danzig.  They rehearsed and staged their plays in the firehouse.  They had a number of productions form “Button Button”, “George Washington Slept Here”, and “Arsenic and Old Lace.”  The proceeds first were to the fire department, then the new Hunterdon Medical Center.   

In the late 60’s a fashion show was held using the stage and facilities.  This benefited the Mary Ann Hance Scholarship Fund and many local people performed including her brother, Art Hance. 

We wish to thank Barbara Hance for the recollections of her youth.  If anyone else has a history of the firehouse and past events please feel free to contact us.  We will be happy to include them in our history.