Three years after St Michaels’ Church burned to the ground, the Livermore City Board of Trustees initiated an action to purchase a new fire truck. The Board minutes of September 12,1919 recorded the acceptance of Resolution No. 334 resolving that the City wished to purchase a combination fire engine and hose car capable of pumping three hundred to six hundred gallons per minute. One month later bids were received from Philip Coil, Inc, Schnerr & Scheeline, Seagrave, and American La France.

On 11/17/1919, the Board authorized the purchase of the highest capacity fire truck from Seagrave Fire Apparatus Company, of Columbus, Ohio. Somewhat short on funds, the city issued municipal bonds for $10,000, with the an additional $750 of the purchase price apparently coming from the city cash reserves.

The Seagrave Model 66, S/N 25055, was delivered in August of 1920, and quickly placed into service. It was the city’s first pumper truck, and likely fought every major fire of the era for the 1920’s hay warehouse blazes to the 1940’s Fifth Street School Inferno.

The Seagrave was successfully used from 1920 through the mid-1950’s. The photograph below shows the firetruck in 1951 parked along a railroad track, apparently ready for service. Note the solid robber spoked wheels of the original truck had been replaced by pneumatic tires with dual wheels at the back.

The retired Seagrave remained stored outside and was finally moved to the Livermore Heritage Guild Duarte Garage in the 1985 time period. There it remained until 2008 when the Seagrave Restoration Project began.

SIRS Club 101 (Sons in Retirement) - Presentation on 9/25/2018
Video: Nile Runge - Host: John Didlake - Speaker: Will Bolton