Canton's Police Department was formed in 1875, funded by a very modest expenditure of $434, of which D. McPherson received $316 and three other men a total of $60. Before then there had been some limited law enforcement presence in town through the use of elected and part-time local constables and county sheriff's deputies. One of the constables during the Civil War years was Rufus Wood who at times also served as the Canton Postmaster. The constable's job had little police responsibilities as we now know them. For example, in 1860-61 Wood was paid $17.50 for police work and $155.09 for collecting taxes.

In those uncomplicated times the incidence of crime was almost nil, and, of course, there were no such thing as vehicle violations. Only one thing ruffled the serenity of the local gentry, and that was the sale, use and abuse of liquor. Canton tried to control the liquor problem by going into the business itself on a municipal basis much like the liquor stores today in New Hampshire. This experiment lasted from 1859 to 1874 before it was abandoned. One reason for the creation of a formal Police Department in 1875 was the Selectmens' recognition of intemperance as a serious evil.

For the balance of the 1870's the lead officer was Mr. McPherson whose department budget each year was slightly under $1000. In the next decade the expenditures were doubled with much of the enforcement focused on liquor violations and drunkenness. The designation of lead officer was not consistent and varied from year to year; among those who held the post were John McDonald. John Lawrence, Edward C. Murphy and William E. Fox. In 1887 two men who were to have a long association with the department arrived on the scene in the persons of John Plunkett and Thomas Kannally. In 1889 the first night officers were used in an attempt to cut insurance premiums, and 20% was saved on buildings and 10% on their contents. During the decade of the 1890's, Canton had two full-time officers who were each compensated equally with no one designated as Chief. At the same time there a number of special and part-time policemen who were paid under $250. One of those newly hired in 1896 was John H. Flood who was later to be the longest serving Chief of the Department but who was paid that first year $27.50.

By 1899 the two permanent men, Plunkett and Flood, were on night patrol and the rest of the force consisted of thirteen special officers whose total pay aggregated less than $300. The founding of the modern Department can be dated to 1900 when John Plunkett was appointed the first chief. The department now consisted of three men, Plunkett, Flood and Kannally; Plunkett was Chief but all three were paid the same. Kannally left his full time role in 1902 and was to be a special officer until 1910. He was replaced by J. H. Caffrey, who in turn gave way to Henry S. Galligan. Plunkett remained Chief until 1911 when he retired at which time Galligan was so designated..

Plunkett was the one who really established the Department and he was noted for his fairness and kindness coupled with a determination to enforce the law. At the same time he could be sympathetic to the men who were alcoholics and helpful to their families. Galligan was to be Chief for only two years, and ironically liquor was to be his undoing. He turned out to be a fierce pursuer of alcohol sellers and made some implacable enemies among some of the prominent men in town. They in turn accused Galligan of being drunk one evening upon his return from Boston. Despite testimony for him by two of the Selectmen, he was found guilty in District Court and fined a nominal sum. The Selectmen, however, felt they could not reappoint him as Chief, and even forced him out of the Department. Galligan was a decent man and was in a sense set up for his downfall.

Galligan's successor was John H. Flood, appointed Chief in 1913 and destined to serve as such until he died in office in 1935. The composition of the three man force had changed by now with John Bowerman coming on in 1911 when Plunkett's retirement opened a position. Similarly Galligan's leaving made room for William E. Casey

The Department's budget was now over $3000 and the enforcement goal was still centered on liquor illegalities. In those years total arrests were about seventy-five or eighty per year with a third of these for drunkenness. This percentage was to continue for decades until taking inebriates in for "protective custody" replaced arrest charges. Of course there were other aspects of law enforcement such as the turbulent strike at the Plymouth Rubber involving 250 to 300 men that confronted newly appointed Chief Flood in 1913. He and his men were on duty for scores of hours without any thought or provision. for overtime.

In those early years the Police Station was an office in Brooks' Block at the south corner of Bolivar and Washington Streets, and the jail cells, known as :the lock up" were in the cellar of the Central Fire Station on the north side of Bolivar Street .

In 1916, the year the budget passed $4000, Town Meeting voted to put the Department under Civil Service. The Department acquired its first car in 1917 when $378.21 was paid to Taylor's Garage in Sharon for a second-hand Ford sedan which was to be kept at the Central Fire Station. Flood reported that in the war year of 1918 there was a lot of police activity involved in apprehending draft dodgers. As early as 1919 both the Selectmen and Chief Flood were pointing to the need for a new police station and stating that the conditions of the lock up were a disgrace.

In the "Roaring Twenties" the liquor problem was back with a bang, as Prohibition banned the sale and consumption of all alcohol except for medicinal use. The local police went on raids as well as arresting over-indulgers. In 1920 five quarts of moonshine were seized as well as ninety-one bottles of Jamaica Ginger and eleven bottles of lemon extract. Flood reported in 1920 through 1922 that liquor suppression was a major problem. In 1921 the Department's strength went to four men with the addition of Patrick Donohoe. He left after two years to be replaced by the popular Thomas J. Ronayne whose son and grandsons were to do meritorious service in the Fire Department. By 1923 the department spent $8923 including $458 for a new Ford to replace the one bought in 1917. In the ongoing liquor raids that year 5200 gallons of mash were seized.

In 1924 the Department expanded to five men with the appointment of Joseph Cunningham, a future chief. That year Flood noted that auto traffic was increasing and its control a significant police duty. An additional man, Thomas Kennally, was added in 1925, a year in which the budget passed the $10,000 mark. Flood again stressed traffic problems and noted that there were 150 auto accidents in the town. The 1926 Annual Town Meeting appointed a committee to investigate the need for a new police station, and the force grew to seven men with the appointment of Harry A. Brown.

In both 1926 and 1927 Flood recommended a motorcycle officer be appointed to patrol the remote sections of town for auto violations and that a school crossing officer be hired. Neither suggestion was adopted at the Town Meetings of those years, but the doubling of accidents in 1927 impelled the passage of an article at the 1928 Annual Town Meeting to have a permanent motorcycle officer and to acquire a cycle for him. A couple of decades later it was forgotten that the motorcycle officer was to be a permanent position, and it was not until 1984 that the position was revived.

The first motorcycle officer, whose addition increased the Department to eight men, was William L. Whitty. Bill was an engaging young war veteran who had lied about his age and joined the army in 1917 when he was still sixteen. Something of a daredevil, he was a popular person who is still remembered fondly, as one saw him tooling around town with his red hair and infectious smile, wearing the black puttees from the World War.

One of Chief Flood's major concerns was the State Health Board prohibition on the use of the lock up because of its condition. He had to transport prisoners to Stoughton or the nearest other town with available space, which made arrests more difficult if not hazardous. Each arrest now required two officers and at times left the town without protection. Again in 1929 he demanded a new jail, and the town study committee consisting of John C. Gerald, Joseph D. Galvin and Harold Dunbar, unanimously recommended a site at the northern corner of Neponset and Washington Streets owned by Ben Morse. At a heated Special Town Meeting on March 2, 1930 this site was voted down and another one on Revere street owned by the Cogliano family was approved.

The new building was designed by Canton architect, Matthew Sullivan, and construction began in the late summer of 1930. The cost was $1500 for the land and $20,000 for the building fully equipped. On Saturday July 18, 1931 the police moved from Bolivar Street to the new special purpose building which was to be their home for the next forty years. Chief Flood wrote with some bite that the move was made "without ceremony", but he extolled the new facility. In 1930 Thomas J. Galligan, another future Chief, joined the force as a replacement for Tom Kenneally who had resigned.

On March 26, 1935 seventy-one year old John Flood died in office after thirty-seven years of service, in twenty-two of which he was Chief. He was a giant in the history of the Department, and a man with vision, drive and determination. Much of the later success of the Canton Police Department comes from the foundation laid by John H. Flood.

William L. Whitty was appointed on April 3, 1935 as Chief and still continued for many years to use his motorcycle as his means of transportation. John Bowerman, a member of the force since 1922, retired and was replaced by Joseph F. Buckley, and the vacancy created by Flood's death was filled by Emil Olsen. In February 1937 William E. Casey, passed away, an officer since 1913 and a person much loved by the school children of town. His replacement was Arthur Fitzgerald. In those later years of the Great Depression, Whitty voiced the need for more manpower, but the town voters felt that the cost burden was too heavy to be justified. As a result the men worked a killing schedule while providing many services above the call of duty. For instance, in the vacation months one had only to call the station and indicate when you would be out of town and the police would check your home nightly.

The Department was becoming more auto dependent, and by 1937 a new car was furnished every year with one of the older sedans serving as a make- shift ambulance. In those years arrests averaged 125 annually with drunkenness accounting for about 75 of the bookings. Except for the liquor curse, Canton was a pretty peaceable town. In 1941 Canton lost another policeman when Tom Ronayne had a fatal heart attack, and was replaced by Daniel Keleher.. The onset of World War II saw Arthur Fitzgerald entering the Navy and George Tyrell serving as his interim full time substitute.

In 1949 Emil T. Olsen retired and was replaced on April 1st by John F. Ruane. Chief Whitty was on a leave of absence with a health problem, and Joe Cunningham was appointed as Acting Chief. He became full Chief on January 1, 1949 when Whitty retired. The Department vacancy was filled by Jeremiah Kelleher. In 1950 Harry Brown retired and his slot was filed by the capable Arthur Galligan, and for the first time in twelve years the Department's complement was increased by one man when George Tyrell was made a regular officer and the ninth man on the force. In that year the fleet consisted of two cruisers.

Joe Cunningham's reign as Chief was unfortunately a short one, as he died on June 1, 1951 at the Veteran's Administration Hospital at the age of fifty-eight. He had been on the force for thirty years and a regular officer since 1924. Tom Galligan, was named Chief on June 13, and was a gentle man and a gentleman who commanded respect and affection. The Departmental vacancy was filled by M. Francis "Red" Burke.

1953 was a milestone year. The Department's numbers increased 22% with the addition of Joseph T. Buckley and James A. Brown. The Selectmen called for an examination for the new position of Sergeant and authorized two of them. Finally the Annual Town Meeting approved an article sponsored by Dan Keleher to put the Department on a five-day week. The next year the first two Sergeants were appointed in the persons of Dan Keleher and Jeremiah Kelleher.

The complement was expanded in 1955 to thirteen with the addition Leonard Merchant and William Buckley. Those were years of rapid growth for the town, and the police force had to keep pace. Thus in 1956 two more Sergeants, Arthur V. Galligan and John F. Ruane, were appointed and the fourteenth man joined the force when John W. Farrington was hired. The expansion of the town and the police duties now necessitated the purchase of two new cruisers annually.

In 1958 two additional men, William Mootos and Domenic Mitcheroney joined the force, and two more men, Francis M. Kenefick and George Berteletti, followed in 1960 bringing the unit to eighteen persons. Budgets were growing also from $40,000 in 1951 to over $106,000 in 1959. Personnel expansion matched the phenomenal increase in the town's population, and in 1961 the Department now had twenty officers after the appointments of Charles F. McGrath and John Fralick. In 1962 Joseph E. Buckley retired after twenty-seven years and was replaced by Charles W. Connor. The appointment of Neil Lerner in 1963 increased the Department to twenty-one officers.

Significant changes in the Department were witnessed in 1964 beginning with the death of Tom Galligan on January 25th after thirty-three years on the force and twelve years as Chief. On February 24th former Chief Bill Whitty also passed away, and the men prominent during the turbulent 1920's were now but a memory. The successor Chief was John F. Ruane, while Dan Keleher was appointed to the new position of Deputy Chief. To replace Keleher and Ruane as Sergeants the Selectmen named Joseph T. Buckley and George Berteletti. Joining the Department were William Mosley, Jr., Paul R. Podgurski, and John F. Ruane, Jr. The new officers meant an increase in Departmental strength of two persons to a total of twenty-three.

1965 unfortunately will forever be remembered as the time in which the town had three Chiefs in one week. The Selectmen did not renew John Ruane's appointment and instead named Arthur Fitzgerald as Chief. When questions were raised about the legality of the vote, the Board rescinded the new appointment and instead selected Dan Keleher to run the Department. Jerry Kelleher replaced Dan Keleher as Deputy Chief, Arthur Fitzgerald became a full time investigator and Juvenile Officer, and John Ruane reverted back to Sergeant. It was a traumatic, embarrassing and painful event, and thirty years later the scars from it have not healed. That year saw John Farrington made Sergeant and another increase in the force to twenty four men when Charles F. Leary, Jr. was appointed.

In 1966 Departmental spending was over $200,000 and Chief Keleher, citing growing arrest totals, asked for two additional officers which were approved by town meeting in 1967. The arrival of Vincent Rafferty and Robert Wadman brought the force up to twenty-six men. Since 1964 the incumbent Chiefs had stressed that the police station was no longer adequate to handle the manpower and duties of the Department, and finally in 1967 town meeting voted to spend $1,000 on preliminary plans for a new station.

The officers were unionized for the first time in 1969 and collective bargaining between the Selectmen and the policemen was instituted. By 1970 the space constraints at the station were severe, and town meeting appropriated another $2,500 for preliminary plans to build a new station on the site of the then present one. The meeting heeded Keleher's plea for more personnel by authorizing four new positions on the force bringing the total complement to thirty.

1971 saw major changes in the Department. Dan Keleher resigned as Chief in October and was succeeded by former Chief John Ruane. A site was selected for a public safety facility that would be headquarters for both the fire and police organizations. A Detective Bureau was established staffed by Neil Lerner, Vincent Rafferty, and John F. Ruane, Jr. Arthur Fitzgerald retired after thirty-three years of service and William Mootos resigned after thirteen years on the force. At a Special Town Meeting in December the town adopted the so-called Quinn Bill for educational increments. The same town meeting voted to buy one and a half acres of land as the new public safety site. Dan Keleher had been Chief for five and a half years during which the Department grew thirty per cent in personnel and commensurately in responsibilities. He was a bright man and was to continue on for some years as a Deputy Chief.

John F. Ruane, Sr. was one of the great Chiefs of the Canton Police Department. On his second tour as Chief, he served for seven years, but to those who remember his administration it seems like a longer period because he was such an outstanding leader and a man of great accomplishments. He knew intimately the workings of his Department and was a forceful and persuasive advocate for it. As such he had credibility with the Selectmen, the Finance Committee and the general public, all of whom supported his proposals to expand and modernize the Department. He called for additional personnel, but just as important, he stressed the selection and recruitment of quality people. He especially took pride in the growth of the Detective Bureau which by 1974 handled over 850 investigations annually.

Much happened during the Ruane years. A Special Town Meeting in November 1972 appropriated $880,000 to build the new police-fire facility, and this was finished in March 1974. The re-equipping of the police station portion was a project of the Chief and brought by him to a successful conclusion. In 1972 his request for the addition of five officers was approved bringing strength to thirty-five. The advent in 1973 of Federal Revenue Sharing became a funding source for the next several years to pay for the expansion in manpower and equipment. There were personnel changes too. Red Burke retired in 1972 after twenty-one years of service, and the following year Frank Kenefick resigned. In 1973 James Wolfe and John F. Ruane, Jr. were made Sergeants. In 1976 the community was saddened and shocked by the sudden death of Prosecuting Officer, Sergeant Arthur Galligan.

Since the beginning of the Department drunkenness was one of the main causes for arrests. In 1973 this per se was no longer an arrestable offense unless one was operating a vehicle. The annual reports no longer cited scores of arrests for intoxication but now listed comparable numbers of cases of individuals being taken in for "protective custody." By 1974 the annual budget was nearly $750,000 and Sergeant John Ruane Jr. was in charge of the Detective Bureau. Much of the Bureau's time was in pursuing a new phenomena: drug usage and dealing.. The problem was at its worst in the early 1970's and placed heavy demands on the investigators.

1976 was John Ruane's last full year as Chief and one in which he gleaned significant honors. He was selected as Outstanding Municipal Employee of the Year by the Massachusetts League of Cities and Towns, and Boston Magazine declared Canton to be the safest suburb among the one hundred communities within an hours drive of Boston Town meeting also approved the Chief's request to add two more officers to bring the Department to thirty seven badges.

John Ruane retired in 1977 and was replaced by Jeremiah Kelleher. Also retiring after distinguished service were Dan Keleher and Lenny Merchant with Joe Buckley taking over as Deputy Chief. Jerry Kelleher was a good Chief, but his time in office was short as he died in January 1980 following a period of ill health. The prior year the Department and the town grieved over the sudden death of James A. Brown who passed away in August. The new Chief was the veteran Joe Buckley who would command the force for the next six years, by the end of which time there was a $1,650,000 Department in place.

In 1980 town meeting approved adding the thirty eighth officer as well as the first civilian clerk. The following year the Selectmen created the positions of Lieutenant and the first appointees were Sergeants William J. Lenhart and John F. Ruane, Jr. One Lieutenant was to handle administration and the other to be in charge of general operations and patrolling. The exigencies of Proposition 2 1/2 caused the lay off of one officer reducing strength back to thirty-seven. In 1982 former Chief Ruane died after going on to serve ably on the Finance Committee. That year also saw the town, due to a court decision, largely end the use of Intermittent Patrolmen with a resultant increase in shift overtime. Charles W. Connor retired in 1983 after twenty-one years on the force, and in 1985 John Farrington and Vincent Rafferty did so with thirty one and twenty-one years of service respectively. In 1986 two more veterans, William Buckley and Charles McGrath earned retirement status., and funding was provided to bring the Department back to thirty-eight persons while also creating a new Sergeant's position for the Detective Bureau.

In 1980 town meeting approved adding the thirty eighth officer as well as the first civilian clerk. The following year the Selectmen created the positions of Lieutenant and the first appointees were Sergeants William J. Lenhart and John F. Ruane, Jr. One Lieutenant was to handle administration and the other to be in charge of general operations and patrolling. The exigencies of Proposition 2 1/2 caused the lay off of one officer reducing strength back to thirty-seven. In 1982 former Chief Ruane died after going on to serve ably on the Finance Committee. That year also saw the town, due to a court decision, largely end the use of Intermittent Patrolmen with a resultant increase in shift overtime. Charles W. Connor retired in 1983 after twenty-one years on the force, and in 1985 John Farrington and Vincent Rafferty did so with thirty one and twenty-one years of service respectively. In 1986 two more veterans, William Buckley and Charles McGrath earned retirement status., and funding was provided to bring the Department back to thirty-eight persons while also creating a new Sergeant's position for the Detective Bureau.

1987 was also a pivotal year in the Department, as Joe Buckley retired after thirty-four years of service, and John F. Ruane, Jr. was named to succeed him. Also, retiring that year were Sergeant Paul Davenport and Officer William Mosley.. Two more officers were voted by town meeting increasing the force to forty positions, and for the first time in decades the motorcycle patrol was resumed. Since then Officer Tom Keleher has made the town a place for speeders to avoid. John F. Ruane, Jr. was to have a career as Chief of outstanding excellence and accomplishment.

The first record found in Town Meeting minutes referring to fire equipment was on April 6, 1829 under an article "to see if the town will vote to purchase one or more engines and to adopt any measures relative thereto." It was voted to appoint a committee of seven to inquire into the expenses of such an action and its desirability. The Committee reported in May that engines would cost $250 each; hose would be 62 1/2 cents per foot and couplings $2,50 per joint. They recommended forming three companies of twenty one "efficient" men each, the majority of whom would be exempt from militia service, that each company be permitted to purchase an engine, and that the Town Treasurer pay each company $200 for the engine. Any cost over the $200 would be contributed by the engine company itself.

Two engines were bought, one for Ponkapoag, and one, the Enterprise, for South Canton. In 1833 a third engine was purchased for the Canton Center station. At that time Canton Center was considered to be the area later known as Canton Corner, which was from Eliot street to Randolph Street. South Canton was then what we call today Canton Center and was also known then as "The Village." 1833 was the first year in which firemen received any compensation, as Town Meeting voted the princely sum of $20 to be distributed among the men who watched a fire all night in Pigeon’s Swamp. In 1834 the Town voted to cancel the poll tax of each member of an engine company.

Volunteerism among the firemen waxed and waned. In 1837 the Enterprise had a crew of forty-four officers and men, all who were prominent figures and leaders of the town. Yet by 1846 only one of the three engine companies was manned by volunteers and that was, also, in South Canton. In April 1849 Town Meeting voted $350 for a new engine for South Canton which resulted in the purchase of the Roger Sherman. It was built to be serviced by forty- five men and served Canton for thirty six years. In 1871 the General Sutton was obtained for Ponkapoag and the Reliance for Canton Center. These latter two were enormous Hunneman engines to be manned by sixty men each. These early engines had no suction hose and water was supplied to them from buckets emptied into them by hand.

From 1858 to 1875 the Town Reports reveal little fire activity and minuscule expense outlays. In 1858, for example, the Town paid two men $5 each for watching fires, that is, keeping an eye on the fire until it extinguished itself. The Selectmen back in 1830 had appointed three Fire Wardens, but the appointments were not continued till 1873 when no less than thirteen were named. All bore well-known names such as Draper, Wattles, Kinsley and Sumner.

During the Civil War and the post war years, the only active engine company continued to be the Roger Sherman in South Canton. One man, Edward Murphy, came to town and in 1875 reorganized the Sherman company and in a sense founded the modern fire department. Murphy was Foreman of the company and instituted weekly drills and inspired an esprit de corps in his men. He and others in 1881 sponsored a Town Meeting article to establish a Fire Department but the proposal failed to carry.

1885, however, was to be a milestone year for the fire services, as Town Meeting instructed the Selectmen to form a Fire Department consisting of a Board of three Engineers and a complement of sixty men. The Engineers appointed were Samuel H. Capen, John Williams, and Charles Ellis, all for a one year term. The new Engineers found that the department was in generally poor shape except for the South Canton men. There Murphy's work for the past ten years was reflected in an efficient and responsive thirty-five man team, while there was no manpower available at the other two stations.

As for equipment, the Board reported that the Sherman engine was in poor condition and that the engine house located on the south-east corner of Rockland and Washington Streets was in fair repair. They noted that at the Canton Corner station the engine was in good shape but that the fifteen year old hose was leaking like a sieve. That fire house was in a building that is now a residence at 1403 Washington Street, across from the Historical Society. A close look at the home reveals the outlines of the old fire house. At the Ponkapoag Station on Sassamon Street the hose there, too, was old, weak, leaking and unstable.

The intent of the sponsors of the article creating the Fire Department was to increase the Sherman Company to forty-five men, of whom fifteen would be assigned to a new hook and ladder truck. Instead the Engineers kept the Sherman crew at thirty-five participants in total including the fifteen on the hook and ladder. Ponkapoag residents demanded coverage and twenty men were authorized there, while Canton Corner was given a ten man complement. Each volunteer fireman was to be paid $10 per year, so that in 1885 sixty-three men were paid a total of $630, while the Engineers split another $100.

Five hundred dollars was spent to buy a new hook and ladder, but morale was very low at the South Canton station due to the reduction in planned additional manpower. On the morning of July 9, 1885 a mysterious fire destroyed the fire house, the Roger Sherman engine and all appurtenant equipment. In August by a vote of a Special town Meeting the Engineers replaced the lost engine by buying a Fifth Class Silsby steamer along with 1500 feet of hose at a cost of $4188, all of which arrived on August 20th. Before the debut of the new steamer, the Kinsley Iron Works offered the town the use of its own engine, pumps and hydrants.

The pace of change was fast and furious in the late 1880's. In 1885 a new Central station was built near the Crane School on the north east corner of Bolivar and Washington streets. Dedicated on October 1, 1886 the building which cost $7462 had a lockup for police prisoners in the basement and housed the hook and ladder which formerly had been in the Town Hall cellar.

In those years annual operating expenses were small running $2,000 to $3,000, with payment to firemen and rental of horses the major costs. The town did not own any horses, as it had no full time men to take care of them. By the time Canton was ready to buy a horse the Motor Age had arrived. The expenses of horse rental actually first appears in 1887; prior to then the Engineers noted that "the men are willing and enthusiastic, but by the time they have dragged 2,500 pounds of dead weight on the run for half a mile or so, they find need of resting more important than enthusiasm." In 1888 the Ponkapoag station was remodeled and enlarged. With its new second floor, it became a community hall for the neighborhood and a meeting place for the volunteer firemen. By then the town had seventy firemen and five engineers, and it was voted for the first time to buy fire hats for all.

Technological change was having an immense impact on the little town. The years 1888 and 1889 were noteworthy for the establishment of Canton's water department. For the first time there were water lines in the streets with hydrants at key locations. Now water did not have to be carried to a fire, nor was the pumper dependent on local streams and ponds, which were often too low to pump.

Progress was coming furiously, for following the use of the high-pressure water system came electric lines and installations, so that in 1894, $2000 was appropriated to establish a fire alarm system. Each year thereafter for decades to come the alarm system was extended and upgraded. The post of Superintendent of Fire Alarms was created, and from 1895 to 1916 it was held by Civil War veteran Richmond L. Weston. The installation of the alarm system pinpointed the location of the fire, and its whistle alerted the call men and the general citizenry of a conflagration. Prior to then the ringing of church bells sounded the alarm.

The Department had a new lease on life; volunteers were proud to be participants in it. So much so that in 1890 the Department had its first annual Inspection and Drill on Labor Day. There were competitions within the companies and with surrounding towns. The muster was to be a Labor Day event for years to come.

In 1891 John Williams of the Board of Engineers was designated as Chief of the Board. That was the first use of the title "Chief" but it would be another seventy years before the town had a full-time Chief. Williams was succeeded the following year by Fred Drake who would continue as Chief until 1917. Drake was also a Selectman for most of those years and was a community leader who did much to advance the interests of the Fire Department.

Each year small sums had to be expended on hoses, nozzles and couplings with most of the work being done by a Canton manufacturer, Cornelius Callahan, the inventor of the modern fire nozzle.

In 1897 Town Meeting voted to enlarge the Central Station by twenty-five feet to permit the purchase and housing of a new "modern horse hook and ladder truck." This purchase also necessitated widening the two front doors and the building of an outside stairway at a cost of $1500 for the truck and $3500 for the renovations.

The chief operating expenses were pay to the call men and the rental of horses, and from 1890 to 1912 the dollar amount spent yearly on each category was nearly equal. For example in 1898 payroll was $923 and horse rental was $954. In the winter months the town often rented a horse-drawn sleigh or "pung" for $25 to traverse snowy streets. The technological advances of the 1880's and 1890's were seen here in the first decade of this century. Ponkapoag Station was not wired for electric lights till 1904 when the use of kerosene lamps ended. In 1906 the steamer engine was transferred from the Bolivar Street house to the Canton Corner Station due to low water pressure in that area.

Ponkapoag in 1908 got its first horse-drawn wagon for forest fires, and it was placed under the supervision of the first Forest Warden, Lawrence Horton. In 1912 the Department moved in opposite directions by buying its first horse and in unsuccessfully sponsoring a town meeting article for motorized transportation. The new horse and its feed cost $361, while $741 was still spent on horse rentals from Jack Buckley's Livery stable. After twenty-two years of use the fire alarm system was replaced in 1915 at a $719 expense.

In 1916 America's economy was booming because of the war in Europe, and the bullish town meeting voted to hire two full-time permanent firemen for the first time, both of whom would be assigned to the Central Station. Moreover the Department was authorized to spend $6500 to buy two motorized combination trucks, one for the Central Station and one for Ponkapoag. The new employees were Cornelius J. Healy and Joseph J. Powers who were to be covered by Civil Service rules and who were each to be paid $75 per month effective February 1, 1917. The Selectmen in 1916 reduced the size of the Board of Engineers from five to three, the three being Chief Fred Drake, Owen Galligan and Ralph Crowell. Richmond L. Weston was removed as Superintendent of Fire Alarms; the horse at Ponkapoag was sold; and the Central Station had to be enlarged to accommodate the new Kissel Kar engine.

In 1917 another tractor for the hook and ladder was purchased, and the Selectmen proudly declared that "the entire Fire Department is now motorized. Fred Drake had retired as a Selectmen in 1916, and in 1917 he relinquished his position as a Fire Engineer and as Chief after twenty-five years of service. The Selectmen went back to a five-man Engineer Board which organized with Walter R. Merriam as Chief. Due to the motorization and better water pressure , the Engineers decided that the steamer was no longer a necessity and it was discarded at a savings of $550 a year. As a result, Station 2 at Canton Corner could be closed with the volunteer men transferred to the Central Station (Station 1).

In 1919 the pay of the two permanent men was raised to $1400 per man, while the use of and compensation of the call men was the same as before the hiring of the full-time firefighters. Merriam's tenure as Chief was a short one, as he resigned as an Engineer in 1919 to be replaced by a new Chief, Clinton M. Curtis, from a family destined to play a significant role in the future history of the Department.

In the early 1920's there was trouble and turmoil in the Department, as the Selectmen often changed the size and make-up of the Board of Engineers, while removing and appointing Chiefs. As a consequence the training of the men was questionable, and the condition of the equipment was deplorable. In 1920 the Selectmen reduced the Board of Engineers to two men, one of whom was Selectman and now new Chief, Ed Healy. But in 1921 the Selectmen went back to five Engineers, and Eugene Reilly, one of the new appointees was designated Chief. In 1923 Town Meeting voted to sell at auction the Canton Corner Engine House and to buy a Ford truck to handle forest fires.

In 1923 the Selectmen expanded the Board of Engineers to seven men which included all three Selectmen, one of whom was Charles Kingsbury "King" Endicott. William Calhoun was appointed Superintendent of Fire Alarms, a post he would hold for decades.

1924 was a year of tragedy and chaos. Training procedures had been lax, the ladder truck at Ponkapoag was out of use, and there was no pumper at either station. On April 24 seven persons perished in a fire on Ponkapoag Hill. Chief Reilly had been removed by the Selectmen days before the fire, and thus there was no Chief on the scene. No one knew how to ring in a second alarm, the nuts on two hydrants were frozen causing grievous delays. The lack of a ladder truck and a pumper was fatal.

The townspeople were saddened, shocked and irate, and the Boston newspapers demanded a probe of the whole sorry affair. Two of the Engineers resigned on June 10th and three Ponkapoag call firemen were fired. Another new Chief, Harry E. Morton, came on the scene. Too late it was realized that a pumper was desperately needed in areas of the town, like Ponkapoag, that had relatively low water pressure. It took a Special Town Meeting in April 1925 to authorize the purchase for $19,989 of a new pumper and a hook and ladder. The American LaFrance which was acquired in June 1925 was to serve for many years and can still be seen today as an historic piece of equipment. In that same year a landmark appointment was made when King Endicott was named Chief. He was to serve for the next fifteen years and was responsible for creating a first-class efficient department. Endicott was one of the finest public servants Canton has ever had.

He organized the Central Station call men into two companies-- a ladder company directed by Engineer Captain William Curtis, and an Engine Company in the charge of Captain William Whitty. Summer training meetings were held every Thursday night at the Third Pond, and this practice would continue for forty years. In 1926 Town Meeting voted to hire a third permanent man, in the person of Fred Olson, to join the other two at the Central Station. At the same time a new chassis replaced the one on the ten-year old Kissel Kar at Ponkapoag. The next year a six cylinder, one and a half ton Reo with a long wheel base chassis was purchased for Ponkapoag from Haynes Garage for $1500. In 1928 the pay of the permanent men was set at $5.50 per day and that of the call men was raised from $75 to $125 per year. That year also saw $7976 spent for the installation of an entirely new fire alarm system and the erection of a small addition at the Central Station to house the larger apparatus.

In 1930 a new Chevrolet forest fire truck designed by Chief Endicott and Forest Warden Powers was acquired for $1548. Uncontrolled grass fires had long been a springtime problem, so Endicott instituted the practice of having the Department burn over acreage as a preventative measure and in 1930, 101 lots were set ablaze under supervision.

For years Endicott had recommended that the wooden floor at Central Station designed to hold horse-drawn equipment be replaced by a cement one. In 1932 after the pumper broke through the floor, it was voted to put in a cement one at a cost of $2000. That was the year that a new police station was dedicated and the lock-up cells removed from the basement of the Central Station. The Depression years were difficult ones, and the pay of the permanent men was cut eight per cent in 1933 and not restored until 1935. False alarms plagued the Department in the 1930's and were the indirect cause of an auto accident involving Endicott in which the occupant of another car was killed.

The firemen developed a helpful and friendly image in the town. Every year before Christmas they repaired hundreds of toys to be distributed to needy children. In those years the men at the Central Station served as crossing guards for the pupils attending the nearby Crane School. The Department was so well regarded that residents donated books to start a library at the station house. In 1935 the E. P. A., a federal depression agency, put in a cement floor in the Ponkapoag Station.

The September hurricane of 1938 tested the mettle of the Department, and it performed admirably. Endicott reported that "all our outside fire alarm circuits were down. All firemen were called to duty and remained all night. One half of the men were sent out with equipment to help clear the roads, and numerous emergency calls were answered. There was no electricity so compressors were attached to the air tanks in the basement of the Central Station so that at all times the fire alarm whistle could be operated. The permanent men served many extra hours and call men were constantly on duty at Ponkapoag Station until alarm communications were restored. There were seventy-five breaks in one circuit alone, and the Superintendent of Fire Alarms had to use six miles of new wire, one hundred and seventy cross arms, and two hundred insulators."

The Department got two-way radio in 1941, a year in which cost inflation was appearing. Thus at a Special Town Meeting in November a ten per cent pay raise was approved for the permanent men effective January 1, 1942. In 1941 King Endicott was elected a State Representative, and he was succeeded as Chief of Engineers by the able William Curtis.

Chief Curtis inherited a Department that was efficient and economical, for operating expenses had changed little since its official founding in 1885. From the latter 1880's up to 1908 costs were around $3,000 per year. From 1909 to 1916 the average was about $4,000. In 1917 expenses went to $6,143 and reached $11,395 in 1920 largely due to hiring the two permanent firemen. From 1920 to 1941 costs were under $16,000 each year.

In 1942 voters at Town Meeting approved a bond issue for new equipment: $9,200 for a 750 gallon Triple Combination to replace Engine #1, and $5,500 for a 500 gallon capacity Triple Combination for Ponkapoag. There was a delay in getting war-time priority authorization from the federal government, so that one piece was delivered in 1943 and the other in 1944. In the war years both stations were designated as Air Raid Shelters.

Local citizens, primarily Canton Corner residents and Draper Brothers employees, organized an Auxiliary Fire Department to be both a Civil Defense Agency and an aid to the established Department. There were many volunteers who drilled frequently and were a valuable adjunct to the regular staff. In 1944 two new permanent firemen were authorized for Ponkapoag in a year in which there was a twenty five per cent pay raise for all town workers. To accommodate the new men at Ponkapoag, the station was remodeled to provide living quarters. By early 1945 Chief Curtis reported that there was a thirty five per cent manpower shortage due to men in the military.

1946 was a year of marked growth, as there were now eight permanent men. The Town was able to hire two new men as a result of a Town Meeting vote to reduce the work week to a maximum of seventy hours. Because of raging inflation, the personnel received two pay raises of fifteen percent each, one as of January l, 1946 and the other as of October 1st. By 1948 there were two Lieutenants: George Titus and John E. Farrington. Five more permanent men were authorized in 1950 bringing the Department strength to thirteen. Town Meeting approved the purchase of a $28,000 sixty-five foot Seagrave ladder truck which was delivered in January 1951. A fifty-six hour week was established in 1951 which required the addition of another permanent man. Again inflation was high with the result that ten per cent pay hikes occurred in both 1951 and 1952.

The post war housing growth in Canton was reflected by the need in 1953 for a major extension of the fire alarm wiring and boxes to new subdivisions. That year operating expenses first exceeded $50,000. Engine #4 with two men was dispatched to Worcester on June 12, 1953 for several days to give aid after the terrible tornado there. The following year, Hurricanes Carol and Edna severely damaged the alarm system. The Department acquired its first boat and trailer for water rescue, which were used in 1955 in evacuating citizens from downtown flooded areas.

Operating expenses reflected new responsibilities for the Department as well as higher levels of compensation, so that from 1956 to 1959 costs increased over fifty per cent to nearly $100,000. In 1957 Chief Curtis died suddenly, and was succeeded by Alarm Superintendent William J. Calhoun. In 1958 the Department consisted of five Engineers, six Lieutenants and six firefighters. The four new Lieutenants were Adolph Noll, Thomas Ronayne, Leo Flanagan, and F. David Crowley. In 1960 the staff increased twenty-five per cent , as Town Meeting voted to hire three more firemen.

1961 was a major milestone in the history of the Department, as Town Meeting approved an article to establish a fire department under a full-time chief who would have Civil Service status and have a Deputy Chief as an aide. The inaugural chief was John E. "Elmer" Farrington, whose force had F. David Crowley as Deputy, four Lieutenants and ten fire fighters. The appointments of the Chief and the Deputy Chief were effective May 10, 1961, and on June 1st. the Board of Fire Engineers was abolished after seventy-seven years of service.

In 1962 a ranch wagon costing $3,000 was acquired to be used in medical emergencies, and was outfitted with a stretcher, blankets, first-aid equipment and oxygen. This was the humble beginning of the Department's future role as an ambulance provider. Three more permanent firemen were added in 1963, the same year the Town voted $5,000 for preliminary plans and an option for land on which a new Ponkapoag station would be erected. The station was completed the next year and dedicated on December 6, 1964. It cost $160,000 and was designed by Canton resident Ake Gorannson and built by the Zullo Corporation.

In 1965 Town Meeting approved reducing the work week to forty-eight hours, resulting in the hiring of three additional men, among whom was future Chief James Fitzpatrick. Four more men were added in 1966 as the Department's duties continued to increase. Growth was now significant and was reflected in a 1967 budget of $235,000. In 1970 there was a net addition of two new firemen bringing the nucleus to twenty two men not including officers. Town Meeting was in a receptive mood that year and approved a forty-two hour week effective July 1, 1971 and voted $40,000 for a new pumper.

Chief "Elmer" Farrington retired in 1971 after ten years of effective leadership and was succeeded by F. David Crowley as Chief while Thomas Ronayne, Sr. became Deputy Chief. The forty-two hour work week necessitated hiring three additional men as of July lst. Operating expenses reached $335,000, and a Special Town Meeting in December approved the purchase of 1.65 acres on Revere Street for a new joint police and fire station. In 1972 $30,000 was advanced for architect's fees and $880,000 for construction costs for the new facility.

In 1973 another three firemen were appointed, and one third of all personnel began training as Emergency Medical Technicians, another precursor of the future ambulance service. On March 25, 1974 the Department moved into its new quarters and abandoned the nearly ninety year old Bolivar Street station. In 1974 Town Meeting voted to increase the staff of permanent firefighters by three additional men. In 1975, $5,077 was spent for a "Jaws of Life" tool that was to be literally a life saver in future years. By that year expenses eclipsed $527,000, however, there was strong public support for the Department as evidenced by approval to buy a new pumper engine in 1977 at a cost of $55,000.

The explosive growth of the Department in the late 1970's was reflected in the increase of annual operating budgets which were $595,000 in 1976, $691,000 in 1977 and $766,000 in 1978. The use of intermittent firemen ceased in 1977. A minimum manning agreement between the Selectmen and the unionized fire fighters increased coverage and overtime accounts.

Chief Crowley retired on June 30, 1978 and was succeeded by James A. Fitzpatrick who was also appointed head of the burgeoning ambulance service. In November delivery was received on Engine #6, a 1,000 gallon per minute pumper, and Town Meeting voted to replace Engine #3 for delivery in January 1979. Overtime costs ran high in 1978 as a result of the infamous February blizzard that shut down the state for a week. By 1979 most of the fire fighters were certified E. M. T.'s. As evidence of the educational attainment of the rapidly changing Department, the educational incentive increment had grown from $11,500 in 1976 to $36,500 in 1980.

Proposition 2 1/2 became effective in 1981 and resulted in town-wide personnel reductions. Three fire fighters were terminated on June 30th and later recalled in November when additional state aid was allocated at a Special Town Meeting. In the interval morale had suffered considerably, and little real savings were made as overtime had to be used to cover for the missing personnel. 1982 was the year that expenses crested the $1,000,000 level.

On December 31, 1983 the popular Deputy Chief Thomas Ronayne retired after forty-three years of service. His successor, appointed as of January 1, 1984 was his son Lieutenant Thomas "Tim" Ronayne. In 1984 Town Meeting approved the acquisition of a new ladder truck, but because of the Town's finances, it was obtained on a lease-purchase plan with a first year outlay of $40,000. The new vehicle was to replace Ladder #1 which was thirty-four years old. In 1985 Deputy Chief Ronayne was assigned to day tours as Fire Prevention Officer, and Town Meeting authorized the addition of one new firemen for the first increase in personnel since 1974.

In 1986 a new ambulance went into service replacing one ten years old with a 107,000 miles. In 1987 there were substantial roster changes, as five men retired and Town Meeting approved two new positions. Again in 1988, a year when expenses reached $1,639,.000, Town Meeting voted to augment the Department by two more firemen as well as opting to replace Ladder #2. In the early 1990's budget constraints were a problem for a time one vacancy caused by retirement was not filled and minimum manning was reduced from eight to seven fire fighters. In 1991 Town Meeting voted to acquire by lease-purchase a new central radio communications system at a cost not to exceed $150,000 of which that year's portion would be $50,000. The system went into service in September 1992 replacing one that was forty years old.

In 1992 one additional fire fighter was appointed, and the Town contracted for a $235,000 pumper to replace Engine #7. The apparatus was delivered in May 1993, a year in which expenses were nearly $2,000,000. The fire and police Departments came on line in 1994 with the 911 emergency calling system. As the Fire Department neared the end of the century, it was one of the key elements of public safety protecting Canton in terms of personal security, health and property. It was an efficient, responsive and sensitive group and a source of comfort and pride to all citizens.