Mashapaug Fire Company

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      The earliest documentation of the Mashapaug Fire Company was found in a news snippet dated December 23, 1892, which appeared in the now defunct Olneyville Times commending the company for their work at a recent fire on Garden Street in Auburn.  It is therefore surmised that the company was organized in 1891 or 1892.  

     The company was located in the Auburn section of Cranston, and was referred to as “Mashapaug Volunteer Hose Co. No. 1”   The name was generally spelled in the press as “Mashapaug”, however, a gold suspension badge presented to Chief Charles W. Trescott, Jr. in 1898 shows the name spelled as “Mashpaug”.  The reason for the discrepancy is unknown.       

     Click here for an 1893 newspaper article about the company. 

     The badge indicates the company’s primary piece of apparatus was a hand-tub. While research is still ongoing, it’s believed that the Mashpaug Fire Company later changed its name and became the Auburn Fire Company. If anyone knows for sure, please contact the museum.

     One piece of evidence concerns the December 1928 death notice of Auburn fire lieutenant Edward H. Coyne, who died unexpectedly at his home at the age of 41. The notice stated he was “One of the original founders of the Mashapaug Fire Company”, and had been involved in fire fighting for more than twenty years. It was also stated that Lieutenant Coyne was responsible for obtaining one of the first fire alarm systems for the city, as well as a motorized fire truck.