Hook and Ladder Company formed in 1884

In 1944, a reference to the Gatesville Volunteer Fire Department was made at the time of the death of firefighter Edward Aurelius Poston stating that he was the only casualty the fire department had suffered since its inception in 1873.

It has been written that the actual founding of the Gatesville Volunteer Fire Department is not actually known due to a fire that wiped out the east side of the courthouse square where the early records were lost in the blaze.

The fire department became an official organization on Feb. 6, 1884, when a city ordinance was passed creating the fire unit.

City records from 1884 mention the organization in a document which reads, “Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Gatesville that a Hook and Ladder Company be organized…and that said company is hereby authorized to proceed to the election of its officers … and they shall constitute the Fire Department of the City of Gatesville.”

A group of interested men started the ball rolling a few weeks earlier on Jan. 25, 1884. The city aldermen agreed for the city to furnish uniforms and equipment for the department. In March of 1884, the city secretary was instructed to have each volunteer firefighter, fifteen in all, furnish their shirt size, sleeve length, and hat size.

The following year, sixteen caps, holders, and caps were ordered for The Gatesville Hook and Ladder Company from The Smith Manufacturing Company for a grand total of $66.30.

In a history book about Gatesville by Mildred Mears, she wrote that on “July 4, 1884, the firemen decked themselves out in their new uniforms and had a street parade and grand ball.”

Mears also reported that “The first fire calls answered by the newly organized Hook and Ladder outfit were to Rubarth and Wells Meat Market and to Lowe and Mings Lumber Yard. The firefighters showed sterling work.”

Another Coryell County historian, Zelma Scott, would also mention the early days of the fire department in her book. Scott wrote, “The progressive program of the Gatesville Fire Department has eliminated many of the fire hazards in the city. The local department participated in the first field club organization inspection of fire hazards ever to be held in Texas. From the findings of the investigation, hazards were identified, and the protective services of the department expanded.”

The first public construction of what was called an “Engine House” was authorized in August of 1885. It was described as a wooden structure constructed on Leon Street less than one block from the courthouse square. The Engine House was built for the purpose of housing fire department equipment, an office for the city tax assessor- collector, and a jail, also known as a “calaboose.” Next to this building a tower was constructed which was used for draining excess water from fire hoses and sitting on top of the tower was the fire bell which notified the town of a fire.

The fire bell, purchased in 1885 at the price of $69.50, is now located on the lawn of the Coryell County Courthouse and was dedicated in 1984 to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the formation of the fire department.

In later years, the fire department was moved a few blocks away to a newly constructed building which housed the Gatesville Public Library, the Gatesville City Hall, and the Gatesville Volunteer Fire Department. The fire department operated from that location until 1990 when it was moved to a new location at 109 S. 23^rd Street, where it remains today.