Posts Tagged ‘fire horses’

This Monday night, I will be sharing some stories and photos from my new book, The Bravest Pets of Gotham: Tales of Four-Legged Firefighters of Old New York. The 35-minute presentation will be virtual on Zoom and free of charge. Read on for more details…

I’m excited to announce that my next book, The Bravest Pets of Gotham, is now available for pre-ordering. Read on for more details!

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…

Part II of the Fire Horse Heroes and the City Farm “These old hero-horses, as I think they should be called, deserve a better fate than city pavements until they die of exhaustion. On the city farm in Warwick we have 800 acres of wonderful rolling country. We have a lake over a mile long. […]

“Once more, the picturesque is to yield to the utilitarian. That thrilling sight – three plunging horses drawing engine or hook and ladder – one of the few thrilling sights to be seen in our prosaic streets, is soon to become a thing of the past. Within the next five or six years, there will not be a fire horse in Greater New York. The gasoline motor will do the work of these old favorites.”– New York Times, February 19, 1911