Label Type
Cultural/Historical ContextLabel
"Records indicate that the Gulfport Volunteer Fire Department was organized in 1925. However, some men who became members between 1926 and 1933 maintain that the organization is much older than this. In 1925 a brand new custom-built American La France Model 75 pumper (pictured) was purchased. It was purchased by means of a bond issue which was retired but a few years before the apparatus itself was retired. This model apparatus became the standard of craftsmanship, performance, and endurance in the United States for many years. The pumper served the town of Gulfport as its first line apparatus until 1956 and is still in our possession, being retired from active duty in 1968. The City is in the process of restoring this pumper to its original condition."
