Boardinghouse Guests: The Firemen
In July 1925, with no specific date recorded, four men from Greensboro, NC signed the guest register at Julia Wolfe’s Old Kentucky Home. They were Henry Carey Baird Guthrie (1881–1946), Early William Stubblefield (1897–1971), Clarence Frederick Highfill (1899–1976), and Calvin Weatherly Wyrick (1905–1986). The dates of their stay were easy to establish, though. Research tells us the men were all firemen, and on July 14–16, 1925, Asheville was set to host the annual North Carolina State Firemen’s Association Convention. Asheville’s Fire Chief Alonzo Leonidas Duckett (1877–1939) made the local arrangements with the assistance of the Chamber of Commerce. Just prior, Chief Duckett oversaw the establishment of Asheville’s first full time paid fire department, and was on tap to become the next president of the Association.
Attendees of the conference registered at the City Hall. Constructed in 1892, the ornate building on the plaza also housed a fire station and the city market until the new Municipal Building opened in 1926. As headquarters for the convention, the Battery Park Hotel quickly filled and many attendees took available rooms in nearby boardinghouses. Over 750 delegates, “volunteers and hardy young men” according to news accounts, were welcomed Wednesday, July 15th at the hotel and attended a memorial service for men lost in the line of duty over the past year. The Grove Park Inn entertained 100 firemen’s wives with an organ recital hosted by Mr. Fred Seely. After the morning events, many fireman attended an afternoon baseball game between the Asheville Tourists and Greenville Spinners. With 300 firemen in the stands, Tourist batters were on fire, winning the game 14 to 1. For the evening, attendees freely explored the town and enjoyed places like the roof top garden at the Langren Hotel. The convention was scheduled to end on Friday evening with a bar-b-que dinner held in the new skating rink, located at the Asheville Recreation Park and Campground on the Swannanoa River and Lake Craig. Entertainment for the final banquet included movies, fireworks, and a dance in the pavilion.
For locals, the most eagerly awaited part of the convention took place on Thursday: the Firemen’s Tournament. Fire historian Mike Legeros notes that since the creation of the Association in 1888, a statewide tournament had become a tradition, and “in the early years timed events included steam engine contests, hand-drawn hose reel races, and foot races. Horse-drawn hose wagon and hook and ladder contests were added in later years.” Attesting to the event’s popularity, the Asheville Street Railway Co. reported carrying 23,000 passengers over four days of the firemen’s tournament in 1892. Asheville author Bob Terrell’s book Grandpa’s Town (1978), includes a chapter titled “The Charioteers,” and describes the great fire horse races in July 1906. Streets and grandstands were full of spectators. It was not uncommon for several firemen to be injured, bloodied, and bruised, during the contest. Thomas Wolfe writes in Look Homeward, Angel “The firemen loved to stage the most daring exhibitions before the gaping citizenry; helmeted magnificently, they hung from the wagons in gymnastic postures, one man holding another over rushing space…the spine of the town was chilled ecstatically.” Tournaments were suspended for several years during World War I and when they resumed in 1920, motor trucks were added to the contest. Many cities added motorized equipment to their firefighting stations as early as 1912.
During Asheville’s 1925 tournament, there were hose reel races held on foot, including a 100-yard dash. There was also a horseshoe contest at the YMCA. Twenty-three fire companies entered teams in the apparatus races held on Valley Street opposite McCormick field. Teams consisted of eight men striving for the fastest times in water and chemical challenges. Specialists included the wrench man, slack-puller, couple-breaker, and nozzle man. The truck and chauffeur were furnished by the host city. Starting 200 yards from the hydrant, the truck accelerated to 25 miles per hour. Horse drawn wagons had at one time achieved speeds of 18 to 25 miles per hour, equal to the steam locomotive of the day. In the water challenge, upon reaching the hydrant, men jumped from the moving truck, removed the cap on the fire plug, lay two sections and connected the hoses, attached the nozzle, and released water. They averaged the feat in 10 seconds time. The top prize was $150. The only incident of the day occurred when a team member from Concord fell off the truck and had to be taken to the French Broad Hospital. Sadly, Julia Wolfe’s Greensboro boarders went home without the prize as the boys from Albemarle and Statesville won the chemical and water contests with record times.
For more information, check out: https://www.carolinafirejournal.com/Articles/Article-Detail/ArticleId/2095/Firefighter-Games-a-Long-Tradition-in-North-Carolina
