
Humble Beginnings
Humble Beginnings The time is the late 1800’s, maybe 1880. Chillicothe is a thriving river town with a population of 930 people and is part of Chillicothe Township. At this time, Chillicothe was widely known as an important collection and shipping hub for grain, pork, and other farm products due to its location on the Illinois River. Availability of rail transportation via the main line of tracks, the Rock Island RR, a good road connecting Chillicothe with Rome and Peoria, and most importantly, a ferry that was capable of transporting cargo, wagons, horses, and people across the river to and from Woodford County, was key to the city’s success. The ferry business was so important, that the Chillicothe Ferry and Bridge Company acquired the legal means to establish and run a ferry to build a bridge, to make roads approaching the same on both sides of the river, and purchase..Read More
Early 1900s
The Early 1900s In the time after 1900, Chillicothe continued to thrive with increased population, business opportunities, infrastructure improvements, etc. What failed to advance was the fire protection. Chillicothe was still under the old fire brigade system, whereby the fire brigade and Fire Marshal reported to the Chairman of the Fire, Water, and Light Committee, who reported to the Mayor and City Council at regular meetings. By 1907, the fire brigade numbered 28 members, two hose carts, 1500 ft of 2 1⁄2” hose, and no ladders. “Those heavy reels of hose were drawn by hand or pulled by anyone who happened to have his team of horses around handy. The late W.H. Ratcliff was often very kind in this regard, and many times sent one or two of his dray wagons to pull the hose carts to fires.” “I well remember one night when the temperature had hit about 20..Read More
WWII & Beyond
WWII & Beyond Chillicothe suffered through WW2 as did the rest of America, and had their share of young men who went off to war, some to return and some not so lucky. Gail “Mike” Myers was one of the lucky ones who returned. Returned to run a business in town and returned to resume his duties in the fire department. This chapter in history is not all about Gail Myers, but a good portion of it is. We will get to him later on. Chief Anderson led the fire department through the war years and into the years of progress after it was over. Even through the war years, Chief Anderson kept the number of firefighters up and succeeded in purchasing new equipment. Through the efforts of the department and needed donations from citizens, the city was able to purchase a new truck in 1942. It was an international..Read More
The Myers Era
The Meyers Era For the next almost 60 years, there would be a Myers at the head of the Chillicothe Fire Department. The fire department records show that in June of 1952, the fire department recognized the need for additional space and a larger fire station. From 1928 until 1954 the Chillicothe Fire Department was housed in the lower level of City Hall. You can still see the outline of the two stall openings in the South wall of City Hall on Walnut St. With the addition of larger trucks and more men, they had just outgrown the City Hall garage. Plans were drawn up and the bids were opened on April 29th, 1954 for the construction of Fire Station #1 in the city park on Chestnut St., our present location. The dedication of the new station was in 1954. The new station had four spacious truck bays, a large..Read More