Today’s hidden history highlights an
artifact that, unfortunately, we don’t know much about. This fire alarm box was
donated to us in the 1960s by a gentleman from Sussex. We can only assume that
it was used somewhere in this area of New Brunswick, or that this gentleman
happened to pick up the box during his travels. What we can tell you about is
the history behind fire alarm boxes in general and how they were used. 
In
1852 two gentlemen designed the first fire alarm box in the United States. Eventually,
a man by the name of John Gamewell got involved, and soon the alarm boxes were
known as Gamewell systems. The fire alarm boxes were installed in a time when
phones were rare, and needing to alert officials of fires was as important and
urgent as it is today. The boxes were installed on street corners in many cities,
and by 1890 five hundred cities were equipped with Gamewell fire alarm boxes.
So, what would
you do in the event of a fire? Once you realized there was a fire and you could
take action, it was important to seek out a red box like ours. Our box has its
own instructions in raised letters on the front – “For Fire, Break Glass, Open
Door, Pull Hook Down and Let Go.” When triggered, an electrical pulse that
related to the box’s specific number was sent out to fire headquarters. The
headquarters would then react on their end, and if all went as anticipated, the
fire would be responded to and, hopefully, all would end well – or as well as
it could following a fire.
If anyone has any information on the history of these fire alarm boxes in the area we would love to hear from you!
