Fire Bucket, "Geo. P. Kettell"

This bucket, painted with the image of a sunburst and an eagle, belonged to George P. Kettell, an apothecary in Charlestown, Massachusetts in the mid-nineteenth century. Kettell was a member of the Franklin Fire Society. Fire societies, the first of which was founded in Boston in 1717, were groups of men committed to protecting the property of society members from fire and looting. They were organized during a period of widespread terror of fires. These societies existed in addition to the engine companies, which turned out for every fire within a reasonable distance and manned the town’s engine. As the 1831 Charlestown city directory explained, “These societies are volunteers in the Department and are independent of its laws. They have laws peculiar to themselves, and in case of fire, are bound to protect the property of their own members, previous to any other.” Each member of a fire society was required to keep two water buckets, two large bags for carrying salvageable material, a bed key with which to dismantle beds, and a screwdriver. Members carried a list with the names and addresses of all other members of their society, and all would respond if a member’s home or place of business caught fire. One man would act as a sentry, keeping out looters, while the others saved as much of the victim’s property as possible. Fire societies prepared for fires in advance, visiting the homes and businesses of members to evaluate vulnerability to fire, study entrances and exits, and note the location of the most valuable property.