The Yantic Silsby Steamer; serial number 1001, 4th size. We purchased the steamer brand new in 1891 from the Silsby Steamer manufacturing company, located in Seneca Falls, NY. Silsby was one of the first manufacturers in the nation to build steam-powered fire engines. A current-day search for "steam fire engine" will show a few sparsely cited documents, each often contradicting themselves. But the general consensus is that Silsby constructed between 500-1000 such fire engines in the mid-to-late 1800’s; and merged in 1891 shortly after construction of our engine was completed.

Over the years, we have repaired and rebuilt the engine. We were even fortunate enough to have it in full working order for our 150th anniversary in 1997, where we had one of the largest gatherings of steam engines assembled in decades. Since then, we have held onto the engine, but we have not powered it up.

As it sits right now, it is in amazingly beautiful condition; especially for being over 120 years old! We even have a matching hose reel, both of which saw real-life action at the turn of the 20th century. This pumper was responsible for protecting a large area of Norwich, including the old Yantic Woolen Mill which still stands today. Very few of these machines are still in existence today. One of the largest online registries has less than 80 known intact engines, and ours is one of the only known to be close to working order. That makes our engine very special for the history of the fire service.

We are currently in the process of restoring the pumper. If you would like more information about the restoration process, the pumper itself, or if you're interested in helping fund the project, please contact the webmaster using the link on the homepage.