07/22/2021
BUTLER HISTORY ARTICLE: The Legend of Butler's Wooden Fireman
by Tom Fox
Back in the mid 1800s, Main Street Butler was a busy place. People from all throughout the area would enter the town and shop. Butler at the time was the last passenger stop of the Midland Railroad. To make the stores easily recognizable, the proprietors in town would set out a familiar looking signor object so that visitors knew who sold what and where. The barber hung out his candy cane striped pole while the pharmacy of the time, selling medicines and tonics hung a sign with the familiar symbol of a Mortar and Pestle, the tools used for crushing and mixing of various ingredients. Stores that sold ci**rs often used a statue of a wooden Indian, often carved by a local skilled craftsman.
One of those such skilled craftsmen was a local man named John Cambell but instead of carving a large Indian figure, Cambell was hired to carve a statue of a wooden fireman that would sit upon the Fireman’s Insurance Company building located at 10 Park Ave. Newark. The statue would be mounted high on top of the building and watch over the great city below.
When finished, the wooden fireman standing at an impressive 8 foot tall, his command horn held in his left hand, his right-hand pointing directions to his men, was an impressive site to see. Locals seeing the Fireman sitting high up on the building often affectionately called him the “Iron Fireman”, not aware that he was actually made of wood.
For 40 years the “Iron Fireman” sat on top of the building, watching life go by. Children playing their silly games and adults doing their daily business. No matter what was happening, he saw it all. He stood watch in the sun and cold, in the heat and the snow. When fair winds blew upon him as well as when fowl winds pelted him, he stood strong throughout it all, standing tall, watching over the city.
Then suddenly, in the spring of 1909, the statue was removed from its perch and the old Firemans Insurance building was torn down to make way for a new skyscraper. For the next year, the Wooden Fireman was stored at a secondhand lumber yard. Although down and out of sight, the Wooden fireman was not forgotten as over the past 40 years he had become a beloved famous figure to many people, especially to the firemen in Nothern New Jersey. In the little town of Butler, located 30 miles to the North of Newark, two volunteer firefighters, John Williams and John Spellman discussed ways to rescue the wooden fireman from the lumber yard. When asked what they planned to do with the large statue, the answer was “put it on top of the balcony of the firehouse, overlooking the park and grand stand of course.”
A plan was made and the two men set off in a wagon to retrieve the statue. John and John were excited after arriving at the lumber yard and the Iron Fireman was quickly loaded onto their flatbed wagon. Soon the statue would be at its new home in Butler, or so they thought.
Unknown to the two Butler Firemen, other fire departments also wanted the statute with Bloomfield fire department being one of them. When the members of the Bloomfield fire department heard that the statue was being moved to Butler and that it would be passing through their town, A plan was hastily put together to ambush and steal the statue from the Butler duo and take it back to their fire department.
As the two men rumbled along the country road that glorious day, passing through Bloomfield heading back to Butler, it seemed that all things were good. Suddenly numerous men emerged from the woods and a shout rang out “Highwaymen!” A struggle pursued and fists flew. Suddenly the Butler firefighters realized that it was not them that the robbers were after, but it was the “Chief” that lay in the bed of their wagon. A tug of war pursued as the two groups struggled and then suddenly, the “Chiefs” left leg was broken off. Seeing this, the Bloomfield men retreated and the two Butler firefighters, in fear of their return quickly left the area. When the two men with the statue in tow arrived safely back in Butler, they took the broken statue to a friend, August Mayer to look at it. Mayer was known to both men as a ‘Jack of all Trades” and if anyone could fix the broken statute, he could.
After looking at the leg and seeing the extent of the damage, Mayer told the two Johns that it could not be fixed, it needed to be replaced and he himself would do it, promising to make it look like new. Plans were quickly made for a grand ceremony and everyone would come out to see the unveiling of “The Chief”. Just before the unveiling of the Chief, August invited John and John to see his finished work. Beautiful they said. New fresh paint and a new leg but something did not look right. His feet, look at his feet! It was then that August realized that he had modeled the new left foot after the right foot and now the Chief had two right feet! Both Johns laughed at the error and August stood in embarrassment. Don’t' worry one of the Johns called out, I have an idea.
The big day arrived and people from all throughout the area came out to see the unveiling. The band played and speeches were made and everyone applauded. The citizens of Butler greatly cheered when John Williams started to present the wooden fireman. ‘Friends, you may have heard that our Chief has two right legs. This is true, and it makes him even more special. This may be the only time that you will ever hear that two rights makes a wrong” After hearing this, the crowd started to smile, and laugh, and clap, and carry on. It was at that moment that the people of Butler excepted “The Chief”; Their Chief, into their Community.
In 1983, a new firehouse was built just around the corner on Carey Ave. The firefighters knew that the Chief could not continue to remain outside in the weather any longer and the decision was made to add a special place for him in the new firehouse. Today you can drive past the new fire house and see “The Chief” standing tall, high up in a special made large front window, watching the comings and goings of the people of Butler below; much like he did when he watched over the people of Newark many years ago...
Special credit goes to Maryanne Maggio Hanish for much of the information that was provided for this article in her book “The Legend 0f Butler’s Wooden Fireman” which can be purchased at the Butler Musuem, located on Main Street Butler at the old train station.
