Join me on October 20, 2021, at 6 p.m. (ET). as I explore the city’s police and fire history while sharing some amazing stories of Old New York’s four-legged bravest and finest. This will be the debut for my FURst Responders of Gotham presentation, which is a prelude to my (possibly) upcoming book of the same title. Registration is required for this free virtual event.
Posts Tagged ‘FDNY history’
1896: Nero, the Beloved Newfoundland of Harlem’s Fire Patrol No. 5
Posted: 17th September 2021 by The Hatching Cat in Dog Mascots, FDNY Horses/MascotsTags: 307 West 121st Street, FDNY Fire Patrol, FDNY history, Fire Patrol No. 5, George Carlin Way, Harlem history
Somewhere under an apartment building on West 121st Street, on a section of the street just east of Amsterdam Avenue called George Carlin Way, lies the body of a large Newfoundland who was buried on an early spring day in 1896. His grave, once “marked by a floral display seldom equaled by a rich man’s funeral,” is now under tons of concrete and steel. But the story of Nero, the beloved Newfoundland of Fire Patrol No. 5, will live on through this animal tale of Old New York.
1894: Dan, the Miraculous Shrinking Cat of FDNY Engine Company 40
Posted: 7th February 2021 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Mascots, Cat Men, FDNY Horses/MascotsTags: Cats of Old New York, Engine Company No. 40, FDNY history, FDNY mascots, Fort Washington Engine Company, Francis Casey, New York City History
“This is a tale of a cat. Of a cat with a tail fourteen inches long. It is a true tale. It is vouched for by a fireman, a policeman and the appearance of the cat. A woman, a basket, a hole in a ceiling, a doctor and some medicine also figure into the tale.”—The New York World, January 5, 1894
1895: Tootsy, the Feline Firefighter of Engine Company 27
Posted: 29th January 2021 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Mascots, Cat Men, FDNY Horses/MascotsTags: 173 Franklin Street, Cat Men of Gotham, Cats of Old New York, Engine Company No. 27, FDNY history, New York City History
Tootsy was the beloved feline firefighter of Engine Company 27 on Franklin Street in Lower Manhattan. Born on the Fourth of July in 1895, Tootsy reportedly loved the smell of smoke as much as she treasured a fresh-caught mouse.
1893: Robert Bruce MacMurray, the Horse-Saving Fire Dog of the FDNY
Posted: 12th October 2020 by The Hatching Cat in Dog Heroes, FDNY Horses/Mascots, Horse TalesTags: FDNY history, fire dog, fire horses, James MacMurray, Robert Bruce MacMurray
When James MacMurray left his position as herdsmen of a large New Jersey stock farm in 1893 to become a member of the New York Fire Department, he brought along his constant companion, Robert Bruce, a well-trained black and tan “sheep dog.” The two-year-old collie was trained to herd sheep, so he had a lot to learn about herding fire horses in city traffic. His training paid off in a big way…
