More than eight decades after one of the deadliest building fires in regional firefighting history, members of the Brockton firefighting community are uniting to preserve a crucial, physical artifact of that fateful night. Brockton Firefighters Local 144 is actively spearheading a campaign to finance the complete restoration of a 1924 Seagrave fire engine that was dispatched to the catastrophic Strand Theatre blaze in 1941.
To generate essential funds for this extensive preservation effort, the union is preparing to host its second annual Seagrave Restoration Cruise Night Car and Bike Show. The community-oriented event is scheduled to take place on Saturday, Sept. 12, running from noon until 4 p.m. at the historic Brockton Fairgrounds located along Belmont Street.
Organizers have structured the gathering as an accessible, family-friendly event designed to engage both automotive enthusiasts and history-minded residents. While general admission for spectators is entirely free of charge, organizers will be actively collecting donations to support the restoration work. In the event of inclement weather, a scheduled rain date has been set for Sunday, Sept. 13.
The fundraiser will feature an array of entertainment, including live music, prize raffles, and displays of classic motor vehicles spanning multiple eras. Local culinary offerings will also be present, with refreshments provided on-site by regional food vendors Lady C&J Soul Food and Catering alongside E's Ice Cream.
Community members attending the fairgrounds will have the opportunity to view a broad showcase of privately owned vehicles, inspect the ongoing progress of the historic 1924 Seagrave Squad A truck, and participate directly in a traditional "Fill the Boot" fundraising drive. Owners of classic cars, trucks, and motorcycles across all makes and model years are invited to participate, with the option to register their entries in a Best in Show competition for a suggested donation of $10.
For the active members of the department, the drive to save the antique apparatus represents much more than a routine mechanical restoration. Capt. Stephen McLean, who serves with the Brockton Fire Department’s Squad A out of Station 1 and participates on the restoration committee, highlighted that the project serves as a lasting tribute to the brave personnel who faced the Strand Theatre fire.
McLean emphasized the profound emotional weight behind the apparatus, pointing out that the four specific firefighters who manned this exact piece of equipment during the response lost their lives in the disaster. Preserving the physical apparatus ensures that their ultimate sacrifice remains an enduring, tangible chapter of the department's institutional heritage.
The piece of equipment at the center of the campaign possesses a storied operational background that began nearly a century ago. Manufactured by the Seagrave company in Columbus, Ohio, the historic Squad A rig was officially placed into service on the streets of Brockton on Nov. 3, 1924, representing an essential phase in the city's early motorized firefighting fleet.
Following decades of active duty protecting the municipality, the truck was officially decommissioned in 1948. Rather than being preserved at that time, the vehicle was sold off at a public auction, initially finding its way into the hands of a farmer located in New Hampshire.
The apparatus changed ownership again in 1980 when it was acquired by Bruce Eaton, the proprietor of the Tuxbury Pond Campground situated in Southampton, New Hampshire. Under Eaton's ownership, the retired city fire engine remained sheltered and stored at the campground property for nearly four decades.
The vehicle's long period in obscurity came to an end in 2019, when Dave Feyler, an active firefighter from Billerica and an avid collector of vintage firefighting apparatus, purchased the Squad A machine from the Eaton family. After securing the vehicle, Feyler initiated historical research to definitively establish where the antique rig had originally served.
Determined to trace its provenance, Feyler collaborated with retired Brockton Fire Chief Kenneth Galligan to meticulously cross-reference and verify the serial numbers stamped on the chassis and components. Their collaborative investigation formally proved that the vehicle was indeed the very same Squad A apparatus deployed to the Strand Theatre disaster.
Following this definitive confirmation, Brockton Firefighters Local 144 successfully acquired the historic vehicle to return it to city care and launched the dedicated restoration campaign that continues today.
The tragedy that forever defined the engine's legacy took place on the night of Sunday, March 9, 1941. Earlier that evening, local theatergoers had packed into the downtown Strand Theatre, situated at the intersection of Main and School streets, to enjoy a double feature that included "Hoosier School Boy," starring Mickey Rooney, and "Secret Evidence."
Several hours after the audience departed and the final showing ended, a custodian inspecting the premises discovered a fire burning in the basement area and instructed his assistant to pull a nearby municipal fire alarm box. Brockton dispatch logged the initial box alarm at 12:38 a.m., immediately ordering Squad A and initial units to the scene before rapidly escalating the call to a second alarm and eventually a full general alarm.
Although early arriving crews initially assessed the fire as manageable, conditions deteriorated precipitously as concealed flames rapidly compromised the building's structural integrity. During the overnight battle, the heavy roof suddenly gave way, collapsing into the structure and killing 13 Brockton firefighters in the single most devastating operational tragedy in the department's history.
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