Old Lyme Fire - Antiques
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Ward Lafrance |
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1928 Maxim Pumper |
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Ellis Jewett told a very interesting story about how the 1928 Maxim Pumper fire truck, purchased in 1927 by the
Old Lyme Fire Department for $8,000, came back to Old Lyme and was restored.
The truck served the town from 1928 to 1954. When the old truck was retired,
the town sold it to Shirley Saunders, who later sold it to someone else. The
location of the truck was a mystery until 1988, when Robert Frost, of Charlestown, Rhode Island,
called and wanted to sell it back to the fire department for $4,200. The truck was in very bad shape, rusted, with parts
missing, but was eventually bought back for $3,500. Money was raised by the
Fire Department to restore the truck (remember those cow chip contests?) and every Tuesday night for
6 years a group of dedicated volunteers met to work
on restoring the truck. Another truck was purchased for parts. The truck has now been fully restored (well, almost)
and is kept at the Boughton Road Fire House and used in parades.