Nearly 100 years ago the City of Morristown spent $9,000 on a piece of machinery that changed an industry.
"This truck is a 1916 American La France. It was $9,000 in 1916 and today it'd be about $250,000" Morristown Fire Department engineer Danny Case said.
Morristown's first fire truck replaced the fire departments previous mode of transportation, a horse and buggy.
"It was huge. I can't imagine what it would be like to go to work one day and have a horse and wagon and go to work the next day and have a motorized truck," Lieutenant Darrell Hodge with the Morristown Fire Department said.
The truck stayed in commission until the 1950's. At that point, the city gave the truck to Cherokee Park.
"They gave it to the park for the children to play on," Hodge said.
The vintage truck became a staple in the town.
"Oh we've heard lots of stories about this truck," Case said.
Case says the fire department has received dozens of old photos showing children and families playing on the truck during the 1950's and 1960's.
"One gentleman told me he got his first kiss on this truck. I was just tickled to death that was his memory of this truck," Case said.
The town loved the truck, but years in the elements took their toll on it.
"The paint peeled off, it rusted over, and all the tires were flat. It got to a point that it was unsafe for children to play on anymore so they just dragged it off into the trees," Case said.
The truck sat in the shrubs of Cherokee Park until 2010. That's when Case and Hodge created Morristown's First Fire Truck Fund.
"We have spent a lot of time and mashed fingers and busted knuckles tearing this truck down and putting it back together," Case said.
After years of scavenging for parts and hundreds of hours of work, the truck has a fresh coat of paint and is well on its way to being back in its original condition.
"The day this truck is done it's going to be something awesome. It's going to be something to be proud of," Case said.
Despite the huge amount of work already done, Case and Hodge said there is still much more to do.
Once the truck is done, it will be donated back to the City of Morristown and be used to teach children about fire safety. It will also be used in holiday parades.
If you would like more information on Morristown's First Fire Truck Fund, click here.
