I think all of us, at some point, have a desire to recapture our best childhood memories. Years ago I recognized this, and in the mid-90's I swore to my mother that one day I would own The White Ghost.
The White Ghost is a 1971 Ford C/Ward LaFrance pumper that was owned by the Milton, PA, Fire Department. It was assigned to the Miltonian Steam Engine Company originally, but in the late 70's Miltonian more or less was absorbed by Shimer Hose Company. By the time I was born The White Ghost (aka Engine 15-1) was housed at Shimer's station but still bore the Miltonian name.
Milton was where I got my start. With 4 firehouses within walking distance of my house, sirens were a daily occurance. My mom used to write for the local paper, and I would get to go with her on assignments that ncluded the occasional fire. When I was about 2-1/2 we witnessed a house fire on Front St. around Christmas time. One of the "saves" made by the firefighters was a doberman pinscher. A member of Shimer performed mouth-to-snout and revived the dog. From that moment on I knew I wanted to be a firefighter.
Several times a month we would go a visit the firehouses in Milton, mainly Shimer and 5th Ward. At the time the apparatus included a 1967 Mack C (now privately owned), a Hahn/Grove/LTI/other tower ladder (in service for a few more months until a new KME tower arrives), and an old phone truck that served as a rescue. My favorite truck, though, was The White Ghost.
As a belated present for my third birthday, my mom took me down to Shimer and I got to sit in The White Ghost sporting my new (toy) fire helmet. These pictures are from that day, August 7, 1984. Although you can't see it in this picture, the object in the window behind the driver's side door is a mural of Casper as a firefighter, a tribute to the name "The White Ghost".
We moved away from Milton in 1986, and the last time I was back (until recently) was 1996 or so. At that time Milton was in the process of merging all the companies into two stations. The White Ghost was still stored at the Goodwill house, but there were rumors it would soon be sold. I thought at the time that one of the firebuffs in town would end up buying it, and I could only dream that one day he would sell it to me.
Fast forward to July 23, 2004. I was driving through Milton before heading to Danville the next day for a cousin's wedding. Sure enough, The White Ghost was gone. It wasn't at Shimer or 5th Ward (now Station 1 and Station 2) and Goodwill had since been abandoned and turned over to ACF. I was more than a bit disappointed. As I left Goodwill I headed back into town on Front St. Right around 4th St. I looked over and there she was, The White Ghost! I pulled over to take some pictures, and then I noticed a small piece of paper in the window with the words "for sale" on a phone number on it. When I went back the next day to look at it with my parents my mom pointed out that the fire I witnessed so many years ago, the one that inspired me, happened less than a block away from where The White Ghost was now sitting.
Needless to say I made some phone calls, arranged my finances. With the help of my good friend Pete, she came back home to the Columbus area with me on August 14, 2004. She's not in prime condition... the Casper mural is gone, some fittings are gone, and most all of the lettering has been taken off. What's important, though, is she still runs and still pumps... that's enough to get started. I'll provide more updates and photos as I get them.
WOO HOO!
8/8 UPDATE: The White Ghost will be going to its new home on August 14. Thanks to the generosity of Pete, he'll be driving it back here. Arrangements have already been made for insurance, parking, etc. All that remains is to bring her home. I'll post photos once she's back AND I scrape some money together to get them developed. In the meantime check out these websites:
8/15 UPDATE: She's back! Pete and I got her in around 7:30 last night after a VERY long day (and a small airbrake problem). We took her out and showed her off for a few hours, making stops at, among other places, my parents' house and Hooters. We're taking her to the storage lot later in the morning. I've got a ton of pictures, and I'll get them developed this week (if I have any money left after all my bills are paid). I'll try to post a few of them before Wednesday (when I'm on duty/out of town for 3 weeks). More to follow...
1/4/05 UPDATE: Happy New Year! I hate to admit this, but not much has changed since my last update. Part of that is the result of a lack of insurance and my lack of a CDL. That's all set to change sooner rather than later. in the meantime, I hope you enjoy the pictures I've added here.