The antique horse-drawn fire truck currently is stored behind the Office of Physical Plant’s Main building.
Unbeknownst to most of the Andover community, Phillips Academy has its own antique horse-drawn fire truck dating back to the 17th century. Currently stored in the power plant behind the Office of Physical Plant’s (OPP) main building, the fire truck, once housed in the now non-existent Evans Hall, has largely been forgotten.
Steven DiZazzo, a former OPP staff member, talked about how the fire truck came to be stored in the power plant following the demolition of Evans, Andover’s old science building, in 2004. He mentioned his concern about the declining number of people still aware of the firetruck’s existence.
“It was in Evans in the basement, stored there, and when they tore down Evans to make room for Gelb [Science Center], someone somehow moved it from Evans Hall to the power plant, and it’s been sitting in the power plant ever since. And, there’s not many people left at [Andover] who probably even know that the fire truck even exists… It always bothered me that it sat in the power plant with all the building that’s going on, [and] nobody seemed to think, ‘Hey, let’s put it out in a public room somewhere, and have people see it.’ it’s part of [Andover],” said DiZazzo.
Horse-drawn fire trucks first arrived in the town of Andover in 1862, equipped with steam-powered water pumps. The Phillipian was unable to identify the exact model and year of origin of Phillips Academy’s fire truck. Most likely, the truck contains defining features of other engines produced by Boston manufacturers: a secondary source titled “Hundreds of Hunnemans” by Edward R. Tufts provided more insight into the early manufacturing of such fire engines.
“There is indeed a similarity in the design of all of the engines of this era and especially those made in the Boston area, and I suspect that many builders of engines purchased the pump and brass accessories from the Hunneman Company, and then some local cabinet-maker was engaged to build the ‘tub.’ The name ‘hand tub’ or ‘engine’ derives its origin from the fact that the body is, actually, a tub designed to hold water. Formed from sheets of copper… The fire engine was a square or oblong box, lined with these sheets of copper to seal in the water, and a pump was installed therein to force the water out,” wrote Tufts.
Although there are currently no plans to move the firetruck from its current location, DiZazzo emphasized his hopes for the Andover community to learn more about the firetruck’s presence and legacy at Andover. He stressed the importance of being conscious of Andover’s history as the campus continues to be modernized.
“It would be nice if somebody would take the initiative to say ‘Hey, this is a piece of the Academy’s history, it’s sitting in the unknown, and let’s refinish it, let’s bring it out to the public.’ With all the [new] buildings that are going on: Snyder, Pan, the new music center… I mean they can make a room where people can see it. That’s been my focus point, that’s been my goal all along: just get it out of the power plant, let people appreciate [this] piece of history from the Academy,” said DiZazzo.
