St. George Volunteer Firefighters & Ambulance Association
3 School Street, P.O. Box 249, Tenants Harbor, ME 04860 ~ Telephone: (207) 372.6122
St. George Volunteer Firefighters & Ambulance Association | 3 School Street P.O. Box 249 | Tenants Harbor, ME 04860
Restoration of Engine 1 (The Mack)
Engine 1 is a 1943 Mack 500 gallon pumper. It first arrived in St. George on February 3, 1943. Engine 1 served faithfully for many years before it was replaced. The pictures at the right show Engine 1 in Pennsylvania just prior to delivery to us. The keen observer will note that the chrome bumpers etc. have been oversprayed with flat black paint to adhere to wartime regulations. Before being placed into service, it was also fitted with blackout headlights. In its glory days after the war, the black paint was removed as, of course, were the blackout hoods.
When we began restoration of Engine 1 some years ago we were fortunate enough to find a very similar 1943 Mack in New Jersey to serve as a parts truck. We now have a foundation that is mechanically and structurally sound. On December 10, 2010 the Association authorized the expenditure of up to $20,000 to complete the major portion of the restoration - including new paint and gold lettering.
The mechanical, body and paint work are being done for the Association by Andy Swift of Firefly Restorations. Firefly, located in Hope Maine, specializes in restoring antique fire engines.
The gold lettering will be done by Peter Achorn of Fire Gold located right here in St. George. Visit Fire Gold's website at: http://www.firegold.com
Once completed we will have a restored vehicle that accurately and faithfully represents Engine 1 as it was in its heyday.
Updated 3/10/2016
Reviewed 4/25/2020
