Fire Co. No. 1/Elm Hall: Narberth Historical Images

Fire Co. No. 1/Elm Hall about 1900

A Black man holding a bicycle stands on a paved sidewalk by a dirt street in front of a building with a stone first story and two full-height doors. A circular open watchtower capped by a pointed turret rises above the corner of its second story.

modern view of the historical image seen from the same viewpoint

The Narberth Fire Company was chartered in November 1897 in response to the fire that destroyed the Narberth Presbyterian Church in January 1896. After a series of temporary shelters for its equipment, this was its permanent home until the current Borough Hall and fire station was opened in 1959.

This, and the following photograph, were very likely taken by the builder of the Firehouse, John K. Ketcham, who was a deacon of the Presbyterian church, and a founder of the Narberth Fire Company.

Narberth Firehouse on a winter day with no one on the street; almost identical to main image — Was this photo without the bicyclist taken the same day? Lower Merion Historical Society

A horse-drawn firewagon driven by two firemen stands in front of the firehouse. — The Fire Company displays its horse-drawn chemical fire engine. On the left is 101 Grayling; on the right is the rival firehouse, still standing today at 246 Haverford Ave.

The house then consisted of the engine room downstairs and a hall and small ante-room upstairs This part of the present fire house was nearly all paid for by voluntary subscriptions.

—"History of the Narberth Fire Company", Our Town, November 12, 1914

firehouse with watchtower stands almost alone on an unpaved street in a winter landscape — This image gives a good sense of how sparse nineteenth-century Narberth was. At the right is Caldwell's Grocery at 101 Forrest, torn down to build the Y.M.C.A. in 1908.

The Firehouse was expanded in the first years of the twentieth century, becoming "Elm Hall", a community space that included Borough Council chambers.

A few years later, it was seen that the town could make use of a larger hall and a few of the members of the company managed to sell bonds to the amount of $7000, paying interest at the rate of 5 per cent. per annum, with which money the extension was built to the fire house, making engine room, club, janitor and boiler rooms, also Council Chamber downstairs, and a large hall, stage and dressing room upstairs. The hall can be rented for all purposes, and anyone who may have occasion to use the hall is referred to Frank Zentmayer, Windsor and Essex avenues, who has been "Papa" of the house for many, many years.

—"History of the Narberth Fire Company" (concluded), Our Town, November 19, 1914

Updated February 18, 2026.