In March of 1921 after a widespread grass and brush fire
threatened homes in the Town of Elsmere, residents began
organizing their own fire company. At the same time, it was
determined that the men of the fire company would benefit
greatly from assistance. Mrs Frank Hoffecker, a member of
the Ladies Auxiliary of the Volunteers Relief Association of
Wilmington, was asked to help organize such a group for the
new fire company.
The Ladies Auxiliary of the Fairview Fire Company, soon
after renamed the Elsmere Fire Company, held its first
meeting in the home of Mrs. Nan Jefferis on New Road.
According to records available today, those ladies attending
that meeting were Mrs. Bassel, Mrs. Berry, Mrs. Clark, Mrs.
Cloud, Mrs. Hoffecker, Mrs. Jefferis, Mrs. Nicholas, Mrs.
Rambo, Mrs. Touchton and Mrs. Wilkie. From among them,
Mrs. Hoffecker was elected the first Ladies Auxiliary
President. In 1931 the Elsmere Ladies Auxiliary joined the
New Castle County Auxiliary Association. Any more
complete records of the early history of the Ladies Auxiliary
are believed to have been lost in the fire that occurred in
1946.
Once organized, the Auxiliary set out about the business of
assisting the firemen, by providing food and drinks after
serious fires. Following the devastating fire in 1946, the
Ladies Auxiliary did everything it could to help the men get
the company back on its feet. At the dedication of the “new”
firehouse in 1951, Ladies Auxiliary President Esther
Deakyne presented Fire Company President Frank Dobbs
with a check in the amount of $1,000, the result of countless
hours of hard work. Included in the new building were a small
social hall and kitchen facilities on the second floor.
As the community and the fire company grew, construction of
a large social hall and kitchen was undertaken. By 1964, the
Paul B. Rambo Memorial Hall was dedicated.
From the $1,000 given at the 1951 building dedication, to
statewide recognition as the top money-making fire company
auxiliary in 1974, the Ladies of Elsmere always seemed to
come through BIG when it counted. One of the most notable
contributions was that of Engine 165, a 1975 Hahn equipped
with a 1,000 gallon tank and chrome-plated deck gun. This
apparatus, delivered the first week of January, 1975, was
also the first in Elsmere’s history to be equipped with an
automatic transmission.
Members of the Ladies Auxiliary have been active in the
business of the fire service over the years as well. From
helping to crew the ambulance, to participating in efforts to
establish a statewide pension program for volunteer fire
company personnel, to becoming involved in Critical Incident
Stress Management, Elsmere’s ladies have contributed to
the growth and betterment of Delaware’s volunteer fire
service.
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President: Peggy Wilkins
Vice President: Suzanne Talley
Secretary: Janet Schuhart
Asst. Secretary: Megan Dougherty
Treasurer: Alice Brock
Asst. Treasurer: Chrystynn Wrigley
Board of Directors: June Wagner
Kathy Walsh
Carol Walton
Vice President: Suzanne Talley
Secretary: Janet Schuhart
Asst. Secretary: Megan Dougherty
Treasurer: Alice Brock
Asst. Treasurer: Chrystynn Wrigley
Board of Directors: June Wagner
Kathy Walsh
Carol Walton
The History of the Elsmere Fire Company No. 1 Ladies Auxiliary |
2010 Officers
