Western Fire Co. No. 3

821 West Main St. May of 1853 saw the birth of this company which has been located on West Main Street since the beginning. The original 1851 firehouse stood in the front of Lydia Middleton School on W. Main St. In the 1920’s, the new station was located across and down the street. Today the company’s bell tower still contains its bell, just as four other firehouses in town do. The company still retains a small Civil War cannon known as “Old Smoky” which for many years was fired on July 4th. Although the cannon was missing from 1861 to 1864, it was finally located in 1866. The Three’s motto “We Strive to Save”, is ornately gold leafed on their current apparatus. Western was the first company to break away from red fire apparatus when a 1939 Seagrave was delivered in White with gold lettering. The company still operates a white Pierce fire engine with hand painted murals on the doors.