Fire Society Publication Lights Up East Texas History
Everett Taylor
People fortunate enough to be on the list for a copy of “The Back Step" each time the latest issue becomes available, have come to anticipate some highly interesting reading.
The latest edition, for May 2008, lives up to those expectations. David Crim, the unchallenged master of East Texas fire history research and writing, has developed another high-interest story.
The Back Step is the quarterly publication of the East Texas Historical Fire Society and the latest edition features color illustrations to accompany the written features.
Subject of David’s feature story in this issue relates to the locating and purchasing of Engine 1, Tyler’s 1957 Seagrave and the unusual events surrounding the location and recovery of the historical prize.
“Those of us involved in the search for antique fire engines realize there is an interesting story surrounding virtually each one,” David wrote. “Some of these stores are quite unusual.” He goes on to say that the story concerning the locating and purchasing of Engine 1 is the most unusual in which he has been involved.
In its history, now covering more than a century, Tyler Fire Department has owned only three Seagrave fire engines, David notes. Two of those, Engine 1 and Engine 2 arrived in April 1957. The two engines were identical.
Engine 2 was involved in an accident in 1972 and severely damaged and never was placed back in service.
When the East Texas Historical Fire Society was first organized in 1982, searches were started for fire apparatus that previously served Tyler, and the two 1975 Seagraves were on that list. It was determined both engines were traded to American LaFrance as part of a 1977 transaction.
It wasn’t until the early 1990s a lead was found to the fate of those 1957 Seagraves. During a “get together” with a group of other fire history enthusiasts David mentioned the fruitless search. One of the participants later called him to report of someone remembering a picture of a Seagrave fire engine that had served Tyler in an Arkansas newspaper.
Some legwork to Arkansas led to Missouri where the trail ended again. But word came from other sources of a Seagrave fire engine sitting out in Branson, Mo. A trip there confirmed it was the lost Engine 1.
Actual retrieval of the engine is an involved story David covers well in his account. It included the night loading of the engine in Branson, which stimulated the curiosity of a police unit.
After showing their bill of sale for the vehicle to officers, they continued their effort but only succeeded the loading the next morning after another confrontation, this time with the man who claimed to own the property where the engine was sitting. This took another explanation and again producing a copy of the bill of sale.
But Engine No. 1, Tyler’s 1957 Seagrave, made it back to Tyler and is now waiting for a complete ETJFS restoration, David wrote. Speculation is that Engine No. 2 was scrapped in Arkansas, but this cannot be documented.
Considering the strange turns in the location of Engine 1, the story of the fate of its mate still could come to light. And David would like to write that one, too.
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