Firehouses · Founded 1848
American Hose Company No. 2
Tracing its lineage to 1848, the American Hose Company No. 2 is one of Pottsville's oldest firefighting threads; in 2021 it absorbed the neighboring Mount Carbon Fire Company and now runs two stations.
The American Hose Company No. 2 is one of Pottsville’s oldest firefighting threads. Its lineage runs to June 30, 1848; the company was reorganized as the “Rough and Ready” in 1851 and took the name American Hose No. 2 in 1866 (W. W. Munsell’s 1881 history gives the year as 1865). It was made an engine company in 1875 and, by Munsell’s count, numbered some 250 members by 1881. It operates today as Station 70 from 323 West Norwegian Street. (It should not be confused with the separate American Hose Co. No. 2 in Mahanoy Plane.)
On July 15, 2021, American Hose absorbed the neighboring Mount Carbon Fire Company — the first of the 2020s Pottsville-area fire-company consolidations — taking on its apparatus and a second firehouse at 122 Main Street in Mount Carbon, now operated as American Hose’s Mount Carbon Station.
Sources
Frequently asked
- How far back does the American Hose Company go?
- Its lineage runs to June 30, 1848; the company was reorganized as 'Rough and Ready' in 1851 and took the name American Hose No. 2 in 1866 (the 1881 Munsell history gives 1865). It was made an engine company in 1875 and is one of the city's oldest continuous firefighting threads.