Firefighters in Brockton are stepping forward to safeguard a pivotal chapter of their city's history by raising funds to restore a historic 1924 Seagrave fire engine. The antique piece of apparatus holds deep emotional and historical significance for the department, having served on the front lines during the catastrophic 1941 Strand Theatre fire that claimed the lives of 13 local firefighters.
To finance the comprehensive restoration, Brockton Firefighters Local 144 is preparing to host the second annual Seagrave Restoration Cruise Night Car and Bike Show. The community event is designed to bring residents, automotive enthusiasts, and emergency personnel together to support the preservation of the century-old emergency vehicle.
The benefit gathering is scheduled to take place from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12, at the Brockton Fairgrounds located on Belmont Street. In the event of inclement weather, organizers have established a rain date for Sunday, Sept. 13, to ensure community members have an opportunity to participate.
Organizers have assembled an array of family-friendly entertainment to accompany the vehicle display. Attendees will be able to enjoy live music, participate in prize raffles, and purchase refreshments from featured food vendors, including Lady C&J Soul Food and Catering along with E's Ice Cream.
Admission to the fairgrounds is free for all spectators, though donations toward the vehicle restoration fund are encouraged. Visitors will have the unique opportunity to inspect the vintage 1924 Seagrave Squad A fire truck up close, learn about the ongoing preservation work, and contribute directly through an on-site "Fill the Boot" fundraising drive.
The show is open to all makes and models of classic cars, trucks, and motorcycles. Vehicle owners who wish to display their rides can enter a "Best in Show" competition for a suggested entry donation of $10, with all proceeds directly aiding the union's ongoing restoration campaign.
The emotional drive behind the preservation effort stems from the tragic history tied to the apparatus. Capt. Stephen McLean of the Brockton Fire Department's Squad A, Station 1, who serves on the restoration committee, emphasized that the project stands as an enduring tribute to the brave personnel who answered the call that fateful night.
McLean highlighted that the truck carried four specific firefighters to the Strand Theatre scene, none of whom survived the blaze. Preserving the actual physical apparatus that carried them into duty serves as a solemn and tangible reminder of their ultimate sacrifice for the community.
The historic Squad A vehicle was manufactured in Columbus, Ohio, by the Seagrave Corporation and originally entered municipal service in Brockton on Nov. 3, 1924. It represented a major technological milestone for the city's emergency response capabilities during the early era of motorized departmental equipment.
After decades of service protecting Brockton neighborhoods, the engine was officially retired from active duty in 1948. The city sold the surplus apparatus at an auction to a farmer located in New Hampshire, taking the truck out of public view for many years.
In 1980, the vintage engine was purchased by Bruce Eaton, who brought the truck to Tuxbury Pond Campground in Southampton, New Hampshire. The historical vehicle remained stored on the campground property for nearly four decades.
The long-lost engine was rediscovered in 2019 when Dave Feyler, an antique fire equipment collector and active Billerica firefighter, acquired the truck from the Eaton family. Sensing the historical importance of the find, Feyler initiated research to confirm the apparatus's original operational origins.
Feyler teamed up with retired Brockton Fire Chief Kenneth Galligan to meticulously examine and trace the factory serial numbers stamped into the chassis. Their investigation conclusively verified that the machine was indeed the missing Squad A engine that responded to the Strand Theatre disaster.
Following the confirmation, Brockton Firefighters Local 144 acquired the historic truck, formally launching the multi-year restoration initiative to return the apparatus to its rightful place as a memorial within the city.
The tragedy that forever defined the truck occurred on the evening of Sunday, March 9, 1941, at the Strand Theatre on Main and School streets. Patrons had gathered to watch a double feature featuring "Secret Evidence" and "Hoosier School Boy," starring Mickey Rooney.
Hours after the final moviegoers departed, a custodian discovered a fire burning in the basement and directed an assistant to pull a nearby street alarm box at 12:38 a.m. The Brockton Fire Department quickly dispatched first-due units, including Squad A, followed shortly by a second alarm and eventually a general alarm as crews battled the developing blaze.
Although the fire initially showed little outward sign of severity, hidden structural conditions quickly deteriorated. During the overnight firefight, the building suffered a catastrophic roof collapse, resulting in the deaths of 13 firefighters in what remains the deadliest incident in the history of the Brockton Fire Department.
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