Fire Buckets
The early volunteer firemen were organized into fire societies. Strict rules and orders guided the members. Equipment had to be maintained in good order and “each member had to keep in his dwelling two leather buckets, a bed-winch and 2 bags marked with the owner’s Christian name”. These volunteer firemen formed the bucket brigades to provide water directly onto the fire. When the fire engine was developed, the bucket brigades supplied water to the reservoir and hand pumped engines. When the suction engine was developed and water was supplied directly from the source to the engine, the need for fire buckets began to diminish and eventually they became obsolete.
Throughout the 18th and into the 19th century fire buckets were made from leather by shoemakers. These handmade vessels had a capacity of about 3 gallons and all were very similar in design, construction and capacity. Early buckets had sewn seams while the later leather fire buckets were riveted at the seams. Handles were usually round but occasionaly a flat handle was attached. Rubber was another material used in the construction of the buckets, but by the time the process for making rubber was perfected, the fire bucket was quickly becoming a tool of the past. Other materials used in the making of fire buckets were metal, cork, and composition materials. Most were painted overall, with some decoration such as the owner’s name, fire company name, or simply numbered. Some were decorated more elaboratly with painted scenes and mottos.