Yesterday And Today, A Salute to Blyth's 125th Anniversary, 2002-07-31, Page 22Richmond family in Morris
since 1857
James H. and Marianna
Richmond were residents
of the Blyth area for well
over 50 years. They
farmed the 100 acres of
Maple Ridge Farm, 1 1/2
miles from Blyth having
taken over the farm from
his father Henry
Richmond who came
from Scotland in 1852,
and in 1857 took up the farmland from the crown. James was
born on the home farm and during his lifetime, (83 years) was
never outside the province of Ontario. James and Marianna, well
respected citizens, had a family of five children: Annie (Craig),
Alberta (Montgomery), Stella (Worden), Millar Richmond and
Jessie (France). All were members of St. Andrew's Presbyterian
Church, and later the Blyth United Church. There were seven
granddaughters and five grandsons, four of whom still live in
Blyth area: Bodie and Don Craig and Bruce and Keith Richmond,
one great-grandson, Darren Richmond and three great-great-
grandsons, Aaron, Dalton and Carson to carry on the Richmond
name. Great-grandson Gary Richmond passed away in 1997.
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PAGE 22. THE CITIZEN, YESTERDAY and TODAY, WEDNESDAY, JULY 31, 2002.
Fire Department 114 years old and a county leader
in several firefighters' homes and in
Howson & Howson Mills. The siren
was activated from any one of these
phones.
In the mid-1990s they moved to a
central dispatch system for Huron
County fire departments at the
Seaforth hospital.
In September 2000, the 9-1-1
emergency call system was activated
in Huron County.
Some of the fire chiefs who have
served the Blyth Fire Department
are: George White, 1901-1908;
Samuel Westlake, 1908-1909;
Richard Sommers, 1910-1920;
George White, 1921-1931; Jack
Ferguson, years unknown; Alonzo
Smith, 1932-1945; Art Barr, 1945-
1946; Herb Dexter, 1946-1955; Bob
Chalmers, 1955; John Hesselwood,
1955-1958; Irvin Bowes, 1958-
1988; Paul Josling, 1988 - present
All steamed up
This photo, thought to be taken about 1901, shows the Blyth fire brigade with their steam
pumpeer at the fire hall which was then located on Queen Street where the bus barns are today.
That same year, fire department
volunteers erected an addition to the
firehall to house the 1923 Reo
Speedwagon fire truck.
In March 2000 the department
took delivery of a new pumper truck
at a cost of $216,000.
The Blyth Fire Department also
operates a snowmobile rescue sled
purchased by the Blyth
Snowtravellers Snowmobile. Club
and donated to the department.
Firefighters in Blyth originally
were alerted to a fire by the sound of
a bell. Then after the Second World
War, an air-raid siren from London,
England and a switch system were
installed to allow activation of the
siren from the telephone office that
was located at the municipal office.
This siren is still in use.
With the change to the dial system
in the 1960s, phones were installed
Blyth Fire Brigade was
established in 1888 when a horse-
drawn, steam-powered pumper and
two hand-drawn hose reels were
purchased. putting an end to the
buCket brigades.
The original ladders are still
owned by the Blyth Fire
Department. though not in use.
The first firehall was in the stable
of the Queen's Hotel on the corner of
King and Queen Streets (in the
present location of Seasons
restaurant). A permanent firehall was
established on Queen Street, north of
the Methodist Church (now the
Christian Reformed Church). The
bell from that building is now
located on the roof of Memorial Hall
where it was moved at the time of
construction of the Hall in 1921.
For a time. the firehall was at the
rear of Memorial Hall.
There was ingenuity used in the
design of the bell when it went to
Memorial Hall. There was one ringer
on the inside to denote times of day
and another ringer on the outside,
with a dis'inctive sound, to inform
the firefigIvers of a fire call;
In 1901 the Blyth Volunteer Fire
Department was established and in
1906, municipal water lines for fire
protection were installed, In 1912,
water mains and fire hydrants were
added.
A concrete block firehall was
erected on the corner of Dinsley and
Mill Streets (location of the present
day firehall) in 1941. This new
firehall was a two-bay building and
doubled as a scale house for the
town weigh scale.
In 1941, Blyth purchased its first
motorized pumper, a 1923 Reo
Speedwagon truck for a cost of
$2,700.
In 1953 Bill Moffitt, reeve of the
Village of Blyth and past member of
the Blyth Fire Brigade. Fire Chief
Herb Dexter and firefighters George
Bailie and Irvin Bowes were
instrumental in establishing the
Blyth & District Fire Area to serve
the Police Village of Manchester
(now Auburn) the Village of Blyth,
as well as parts of the Twps. of
Hullett, East Wawanosh, West
Wawanosh, McKillop, Morris and
Colborne.
After the fire area was set up,
Blyth purchased its first new
motorized pumper,_a .1953 Bickel. In
1962, part of the present day firehall
was erected to house this pumper
and a tanker truck.
In 1972, a foam system, still in
use today, was purchased.
In 1980, the department,
purchased an emergency van and
began to respond to auto and farm
accidents as well as medical
emergencies.
In 1983, the old concrete block
portion of the firehall was
demolished and a two-bay addition
was added onto the newer section, in
anticipation of the new pumper to be
delivered the following year.
The Blyth firefighters saw a need
in the community and in 1997 were
the first department in the county to
complete the Ministry of Health
Medical First Responder program
training.
In 1998, they became the first fire
department in the county to purchase
and complete training to operate an
automatic external defibrillator.
Municipality of
Huron East
527-0160 HURON EAST
Lin Steffter — Mayor
MP
on your
25th Anniversary
from tire