I am writing this on the first day of autumn. Spring and Summer have come and gone very quickly this year. They have been both good and bad for the Martins Ferry Area Historical Society.

     Because of continued support from the Martins Ferry Rotary Club, we have been able to employ Betty Douglas to serve as a guide at the Sedgwick Museum. She will be there every weekend for about another month. A ceremony to dedicate an historical marker to honor James Wright and William Dean Howells was held a the park at the corner of Hanover and Fifth Streets. With grant money provided by the Belmont County Tourism Council, another portion of the museum’s windows were protected with storm windows. We hope to finish that project next summer. Work on the wall replacement project at Walnut Grove Cemetery has begun under the leadership of Jim Knellinger. It will be completed soon.

     We are beginning our education program with students from the city schools visiting The Sedgwick House Museum and focusing on the heritage of Martins Ferry. On Sunday, October 17, a Ghost Walk will be held at Walnut Grove Cemetery. The hours will be from 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. Also, plans have been initiated for our holiday open house in December.

     Friends, right now the Martins Ferry Area Historical Society and the Sedgwick House Museum are facing an extremely serious problem. Membership in the organization is decreasing rapidly. The main danger is the day-to-day operation of the museum...only a small, dedicated group of volunteers is keeping the museum open. Please try to find a positive way of supporting our efforts. Continue to support us financially, tell others about us, and give of your time to keep the Martins Ferry Area Historical Society a viable and active group.

     Before there was an organized fire department in the city, a spectacular fire gutted the entire commercial area at the corner of Fourth and Hanover Streets. Wheeling sent help but found that there was no water supply to fight the blaze. In 1887, work was completed on a water pumping station and water lines for the city. It was then decided to organize THE MARTINS FERRY FIRE DEPARTMENT.

     The department consisted of four companies: the Hook and Ladder, the Alert, the Vigilant, and the Liberty. The official organization took place in August of 1887. Fifty-five men made-up the roster of the new fire department. They had little equipment to work with, but did have a great deal of dedication and courage. Samuel H. Heaton was chosen as the first chief of the department. There were no fire stations, so the equipment was kept in sheds and barns situated in strategic locations throughout the city.

     The earliest known equipment included a manually operated pumper, a hand-drawn ladder cart, and some hand-drawn hose reels. It wasn’t long before the equipment was modified to be drawn by horses. The first fire alarm system utilized a bell on the schoolhouse at the corner of Forth and Hickory Streets. When a fire was spotted, the person would run to the schoolhouse and sound the bell. The city was divided into wards, and each had a designated ring that would identify the location of the fire. In 1893, a new fire alarm system was instituted. Fifteen boxes using storage batteries were located throughout the city. Whistles and sirens were then used to identify the box number and its location.

     With the coming of the Twentieth Century, many advances were made in the department. Brick buildings were constructed to be used as fire stations. The most important change was the use of “horseless carriages” to transport the department’s equipment.

      From these very humble beginnings, the MARTINS FERRY FIRE DEPARTMENT has grown into one of the best in the entire state of Ohio and the Tri-State area.

LINSLY - Ferry won from the cadets by a score of 13-7 to make up for last year’s defeat. The boys were wonderful in every way, including good sportsmanship. It was the first game of the year for Martins Ferry. A lot of work was to be done, but there were promises to be made.

MOUNDSVILLE - Last year the boys from the Mound City beat us, but boy, did we make them look sick this year. It was an excellent scoring game for us, of course. The score — a mere 31-0.

WHEELING - Just when we were getting good — BOOM — along comes Wheeling and bumps our hopes of a nice string of wins. There is still some doubt as to Mattern’s being out of bounds or not. The score at the end of four periods — 27-7.

NEW PHILADELPHIA - We know that we have something now. New Philly, who ranked high in the state, gave us a good game; but we held on and licked them by a score of 14-13.

TRIADELPHIA - Coach Norman’s Alma Mater didn’t stand a chance which was all right with him. Famous last words that evening were, “How dry I am.” It rained for about 20 hours without stopping before the game got under way. The score — 46-7.

WEIRTON - Scoring three times in the first period sparked the Purple Riders to an overall 42-0 victory. The Weirtonites showed in the statistics that they lost more ground than they gained. Next is East Liverpool.

EAST LIVERPOOL - This time it was East Liverpool scoring against us three times in the first period. Getting three T. D.’s ourselves was all right, but it came too late. More than 800 fans went to the game either by car, bus, or train, which was chartered for the event.

STEUBENVILLE - Passing for all three touchdowns, the Purple and White bombed Steubenville 10-0 before 3500 fans at the Ferry Stadium. Playing good defensive ball, the Big Red bowed to the Ferry team 19-0.

BRIDGEPORT - There are no “ILL” feelings between these two teams, but the Riders were just getting warmed up for next week’s game. We just had to beat Bridgeport to keep the record going. The Purple Riders struck three times by air and three times by land for a grand finale of 41-13.

BELLAIRE - The big rival of the Purple Riders came to Ferry with the O. V. A. C. all wrapped up and only one tie in nine games. They kept this record in tact with a 32-13 trouncing of the Riders.

SENIOR PLAYERS:
Daniel McGrew, Fullback; Philip Miller, Fullback; Forrest Heil, Quarterback; Ron Mattern, End; Richard Oberdick, End; Howard McFarland, Quarterback; David Miller, End; Richard Lewis, Center: Tom Lehmer, Halfback; Dale Kinnan, Halfback; Arthur Perry, Guard; Dick Duck, Halfback; Harlan Shriver, Guard-Tackle