Paterson N.J. Fire Dept. badges

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Hi gang, I'm known in the bottle & glass forum for my large collection of Paterson N.J. bottles and stoneware, as well as anything else from the area, but recently I have been trying to add to my collection of F.D. badges. It's my hope to have an entire set of badges from the 15 different volunteer companies that were active in Paterson until 1890 when they became partially paid.

As you can see, the style of badge only uses initials, so people often confuse them and list them wrong on Ebay and elsewhere. In fact the last two times one of these badges were listed on Ebay they were both listed as Passaic N.J. F.D., the other large city nearby. I have even found them in museum collections listed as Passaic instead of Paterson.

Paterson had three company #1's, #2's and 3's, they consisted of engine companies, hose companies and hook & ladder companies, which can be distinguished very easily by looking at the badges below. Companies #4-#9 were only engine companies, and like most town and cities each company had there own specific name for different reasons, the Paterson N.J. companies were.....

Passaic #1
Neptune #2
Washington #3
Phoenix #4(disbanded 1842)
Jackson #4
Protection #5
Engine co. #6(disbanded 1842)
Vigilant #6
Lexington #7(started 1868, funny story)
Liberty #7
Lafayette #8
Paterson E.C. #9


Columbia Hose #1
Cataract Hose #2
Hibernia Hose #3


Eagle H & L #1
Germania H & L #2
Hook & Ladder #3

These are the badges from the time period I currently own and I am looking to acquire any that I may need...



Today I was lucky enough to acquire my first Civil War era F.D. from Paterson along with a very rare Exempt Fireman's badge from the same source...



Thanks for checking out some of my Paterson F.D. items, if you have anything I may want I would appreciate the opportunity to purchase it, I also have some medals and other badges to trade..... Jim

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Turns out the seller who had the two new badges for me didn't realize that the P.F.D. badge was also a Paterson N.J. badge, so it was a great morning yesterday for sure....

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I was able to add the rarest of all known badges from the Paterson F.D., Germania Hook & Ladder Co. #2 moved into the 77 Prospect St. firehouse previously occupied by Hook & Ladder Co. #1 in 1873, the building was first used in 1856. It is the only known example of this badge and the only badge from Paterson known with the companies name on it, as it's new curator I am psyched to add it to my collection until which time it is donated to either the NJ Fireman's Museum in Boonton or better yet the Paterson N.J. Museum. Also pictured is the building as it stands today along with a pic of the rig outside the firehouse...

[relicmeister]

Cool. Paterson born detectorist here.

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Added the nickle plated Neptune Engine Co. #2 badge tonight, unlike the brass variant the nickel plated badges identified you as an exempt member of the Paterson F.D. back in the day. Now if I can just find the Hose Company #2 badge I'll be a happy camper...

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My shield variants, the collection continues to grow since I was lucky enough to add the brass Jackson Steam Engine Co. #4, and I have a line on the Liberty Engine Co. #7 variant, fingers crossed..

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Well it's been one hell of a week, added 3 new badges leaving me two short of the entire set. I have the largest collection of Paterson N.J. volunteer era shield style badges ever assembled, except when the P.F.D. ordered them... LOL

Went from the first group you see pictured to the 2nd group, the last pic is the 2 badges I am hunting for to have a complete set. To have an ENTIRE SET I would need both brass and nickel plated variants of each, which may take the rest of my life...

[creskol]

Holy Smokes! That is one impressive collection! Thanks for sharing!

[sprailroad]

epackage, THAT is one "Incredible" collection, never seen anything like that. Kind of have a soft spot for older fire dept. items, both my dad and uncle retired as Battalion Chiefs from the Fire Dept. in Detroit, Mich. in the 70's. Hired in right after the 2nd WW.

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Thanks for the kind words, here is my father at Christmas 2016, I had a shadowbox made of my great grandfather's, grandfather's and father's badges and medals. My family had 103 years of continuous service in the Totowa N.J. F.D., a volunteer department from a town that borders Paterson and where I was born and raised. All 3 were chiefs and assistant chiefs, my dad was the first 50 year active T.F.D. member, and in 1973 he was the Schaefer Beer Fireman of the Year in N.J. for pulling 4 people from a flipped over burning car before they could get any water to it, he got the last person out and the car exploded. He came home covered in blood and my mom fainted twice before he realized he better get cleaned up and change his clothes. Schaefer gave him all kinds of cool things, and the Governor himself presented my dad with an honorary certificate from the state, I couldn't be more proud of my families history with the Totowa F.D..

[devldog]

repackage, you have every right to be proud of your Dad and Grandfather and Uncles. That is quite a History of your Family in the Fire Service. I'm sure they had some stories to tell throughout their careers. Did you serve in the Fire Service also? That is quite a collection of helmet shields you have. Very Impressive indeed. I am a retired Firefighter from DeKalb County, Georgia in metro Atlanta. I retired a Firefighter after 26 years and loved the work.

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Had another great Saturday, most of what I got was from the Superintendent of the Fire Alarm & Telegraph system for the P.F.D., James F. Zeluff. I got the gold badge he is seen wearing in both the cabinet card image as well as the large(20" X 16") hand color tinted enlargement from that same photo. Amusingly to me is the lapel pins he wore for the Alarm & Telegraph Dept. that spell the word FAT on each side of his neck.

I also got his silver Superintendent's badge and his gold presentation badge from Neptune Co. #2 where he rose to the rank of assistant chief before taking over the Superintendent's job. I also got a great original photo showing the brand new alarm room system at fire headquarters, along with his original 1885 appointment to the position of Supt. of the Fire Alarm and Hose House, which was used to dry out hose after fires, a must back in the day.

To top it all off I got a Passaic Co. #1 parade helmet shield, which is signed on the back by both John T. Pollitt and Joseph H. Chamberlain, both on the 1884 roster of Passaic #1, so I assume one of them passed it along to other when he retired. I also got another gold presentation badge for Henry Schoonmaker from Passaic Co. #1, a silver helmet presentation tag for Thomas Condron, a Gamewell Fire Line badge, my second. A cabinet card showing a fireman from Paterson Steam Fire Engine Co. #9 with helmet, belt and badge, a great stereoview after the Great Fire of 1902 that burned down 85% of Paterson's business district, showing firemen loading a horse drawn wagon with anything salvageable from their firehouse, James F. Zeluff's 1887 certificate of membership to the Order of American Firemen, and lastly an original 1864 photo by John Reid of Passaic Co. #1's brand new apparatus, all shiny and new outside their house.

It was a Hell of a Day!! Click pics to enlarge them...

[villagenut]

Those badges and memorabilia look to be just as addicting as bottles......fun stuff like this is part of the joy. I like em.

[A2coins]

Amazing collection I am very impressed

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Amazingly enough I added 3 badges I needed for my collection in a week, Engine Co's. #1, #2 & #4 non-exempt badges, this makes 18 shield shaped badges in all so far. Hopefully one day I'll have an entire set, that would be really impressive and something I would love to share with the current Paterson F.D.. Once the #1 & #4 arrive I will get quality pics and add them to the group photo in their proper places. Hose Co. #1 & #2 are the badges I am really seeking right now, and I expect to add the Hook & Ladder Co. #1 non-exempt badge once I can meet the guy who has it for me, I have something he wants to buy that too big to ship, so we need to meet for me to acquire the badge, and until I have it in hand I don't count as part of my collection...