Pharr Volunteer Fire Department
Pharr, Hidalgo County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In July 1916, the same year voters incorporated the city of Pharr, a large fire laid waste to an entire downtown city block. As a result of the blaze, the community lost Pharr Lumber Co., Pharr Mercantile Co., Folsum Hardware Co., National Theatre and several other businesses. During that same era, National Guard troops were stationed in the area to combat incursions from revolutionary forces in Mexico. When the troops left at the beginning of World War I, they left behind hose reels that the community adopted as its first fire equipment. Judge L.J. Polk, Sr. and D. "Chief" Simmons led local residents in loosely organizing a group of 10 to 12 volunteers, and they directed citizen efforts in fighting fires. During the winter of 1921, the Pharr Volunteer Fire Department officially formed with J.E. Rogers as chief. During the next 10 years, the number of volunteers grew and the department organized into three companies: engine, chemical and hose. In 1928, the city comissioned assistant fire chief O.C. Brown to build the first fire station; a room in the rear of the building briefly served as city jail. Two years later, the fire department received a state charter. In the 1980s, as population grew in the Pharr, San Juan and Alamo area, a control room in the station enabled volunteers to respond to tri-city fire alarms. Citizens worked to preserve the original fire station when it faced demolition in 2001, and the city later built new facilities for the fire department. (2006)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In July 1916, the same year Pharr incorporated, a fire destroyed an entire downtown block, wiping out the town's lumber yard, mercantile, hardware store, and theater. When National Guard troops — stationed nearby to guard against raids from revolutionary Mexico — pulled out at the start of World War I, they left behind hose reels that became the community's first firefighting gear. Volunteers organized loosely at first, formed an official department in 1921, and built their first fire station in 1928, with a jail cell tucked in the back.
Why it matters
The department's beginnings capture life along the Rio Grande border during the Mexican Revolution, when a young town armed itself against both fire and unrest with equipment left by departing soldiers.
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Related people
- · L.J. Polk, Sr.
- · D. "Chief" Simmons
- · J.E. Rogers
- · O.C. Brown
Themes & tags
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