Historic Hallowell

The Union Fire Club of Hallowell, Maine, started in the 1801. A Union Fire Club was a group of dedicated citizens who decided they should do something about the fires that were occurring and destroying businesses and homes. This group existed long before an actual fire department came about. The Union Fire Club was the first "fire department" just without the new technology of fire trucks and water hoses of today. After horrible fires were fought, firefighters and local citizens would get together and use music in a parade going up and down the streets to express the fires they had defeated! Some of Hallowell's early "fire fighters" included residents, John Agry, Benjamin Page, Ariel Wall, Chandler Robbins, Thomas Agry, Samuel Sumner Wilde, and Nathan Moody, who paved the way for the firefighters of today.

The Fire Club was established in 1801 because citizens didn’t want to lose their houses from fire. One of the first firefighters in Hallowell was Dr. Benjamin Page, a leading citizen in the early history of the city. He was accepted into the Union Fire Club in 1805. Benjamin Page was born in Kensington, New Hampshire, in 1746. He was well mannered, intelligent, and earned his respect as a man. His nickname was “ The Beloved Physician.” He was married to Abigail Odlin who was born May 28, 1748. Abigail’s father was Deacon John Odlin. Benjamin Page made his first appearance in Hallowell in 1791. He was one of the first settlers in Hallowell, Maine. Benjamin and Abigail Page had one child named John Odlin Page. At the age of seventy-eight, Benjamin Page died in Hallowell on October 28, 1824. . His house is still standing on 81 Second Street in Hallowell, Maine.