HUDSON — An important piece of history for the Hudson Fire Department has been preserved, thanks to the efforts of the Art and Framing Emporium in Westborough.
A frame containing the portraits of several men from the Eureka Engine Company No. 1 from Hudson circa 1886 was restored after sustaining water damage.
The finished restoration was unveiled at the Firefighter Memorial Sunday breakfast on June 11.
“The frame contains the pictures of several men who had a significant impact on the town of Hudson. Names like Tripp, Houghton and Brigham to name a few — all have streets or important locations within town named after them,” Fire Chief Bryan Johannes said.
He added, “The naming of various locations in Hudson have meaning and were not just given a name out of the blue.”
According to historic documents provided by Johannes, the frame was originally gifted to the M.A. Pickett Engine Company of Marblehead in Nov. 1886 at the dedication of its new engine house on Franklin Street.
The two engine companies had a special bond and worked together at a number of 1880s fire musters or at events where the fire companies had a friendly competition completing different tasks.
Foreman of the Eureka Engine Company Charles S. Russell said, “We have come here tonight to offer you in return this testimonial of our abiding friendship and esteem, and we ask you to [accept] it in the same spirit in which it is tendered, as one brother expects a gift from another.”
The six-by-eight-inch frame contains about 75 cabinet photos placed around the testimonial, which is engraved in India ink.
Members of the Eureka Engine Company, Chief Engineer Benjamin Dearborn and Rufus H. Brigham are in the upper left and right, respectively, while Assistant Engineer George A. Tripp is in the lower left corner with ex-Assistant Engineer W.H. Moulton in the lower right corner.
Russell has his picture right at the center just above the testimonial, and other members pictured include First Assistant Waldo A. Gay, Second Assistant W.F. Trowbridge, Clerk Samuel Bruce and ex-Foreman D.F. Pope. George Houghton, who was elected as a selectman in Trowbridge in March 1886, is also pictured.
The frame was returned to the town of Hudson and the Hudson Historical Society in 1920, and it hung in the lower reading room of the Hudson Public Library for many years. In 1995, the society donated the frame to the New Bedford Fire Museum, and it was returned to the Hudson Fire Department on Aug. 4, 2021.
Unfortunately, the frame incurred some water damage while it was on loan. Johannes said the damage was extensive and impacted some of the photos.
“The plaster cast frame itself was breaking apart in several spots,” he said.
Through the commissioning of Art and Framing Emporium, the frame was fixed, and the condition of the historical photos within restored. The restoration work took several months, and the funding for the work was done through the Community Preservation Committee.
Johannes believed that it is important to remember and honor the history of the Hudson Fire Department.
“Remembering our history is important to share with the current and future generations so we have an understanding of how the Hudson Fire Department came to be,” he said.
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