This hand-drawn engine was manufactured in 1860 by the Cowing Company of Seneca Falls, New York. It was originally purchased by the Reliance Fire Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for $1,050.00. The Kennett Fire Company bought it in 1875 for $575.00. It was named "Kennett No. 1" and was the town's first piece of firefighting equipment. This hand pumper served faithfully well into the turn of the century.

The hand pumper has a solid mahogany wood body. All pump parts and other metal fixtures are brass. The piston-type pump has an 8-inch cylinder and a 7.5-inch stroke. The rig came equipped with a suction hose, spanner tools, and other tools associated with that period of firefighting. The total weight is 2,500 lbs. It was guaranteed by the Cowing Company to shoot a stream of water 190 feet.

In 1930, it was turned over to the Chester County Historical Society. In the late 1940s, it was moved to a barn south of West Chester on Route 202 for storage. Members discovered it there in 1970. It was covered with dirt and debris and in desperate need of restoration. It was removed from the barn and returned to Kennett Square.

The first step of the restoration process was to raise the funds needed for the project. This was accomplished by pulling the hand pumper from Kennett Square to Oxford, Pennsylvania, to celebrate the 100^th Anniversary of the Union Fire Company. The trip was 16.5 miles with area residents pledging money for every mile it was pulled. A total of $1,800.00 was raised.

The restoration project took 16 months to complete. The majority of the work was done by members of the fire company with assistance from local craftsmen. The rig was completely disassembled and refurbished. The entire restoration process was photographed and documented by the fire company. Once restored, the hand pumper participated in a homecoming parade in Seneca Falls.

Our most famous pull was September 29^th & 30^th, 1972. The hand pumper was pulled from Kennett Square to Laurel, Delaware, for the Delaware State Firemen's Convention. The trip was 102.2 miles and took 34 hours and 20 minutes to complete. The accomplishment put Kennett Fire Company in the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest continuous pull of hand-drawn apparatus. The record was broken in 1974 by firefighters from Southampton, England

On the 12^th & 13^th of October, 1984, the rig was pulled from Kennett Square to Baltimore, Maryland, for the 1^st Annual Firehouse Magazine Muster. The trip was 75 miles and was completed in 23 hours. The Kennett Fire Company has participated in Muster events and parades throughout the eastern United States.

We hope you have enjoyed learning about this piece of early American fire apparatus.