First Harmonist Church and Fire Department

First Harmonist Church and Fire Department. . , According to tradition, this building served as the first house of worship at Economy for the Harmony Society. In 1831 a second church was completed on Church Street, now known as St. John's Lutheran Church. The cellar of the first church was used to store wine made from the grapes growing on the sides of many of the houses., The Economy Volunteer Fire Department was chartered in 1905. The fire company used this building to house its firefighting equipment. The 1905 Sanborn map shows that it contained two "jumpers” and three "chems." A jumper was a two-wheeled cart with a hose reel surrounding the axle. A chemical wagon usually had two five-foot wheels holding a water cylinder. A mixture of sulfuric acid and bicarbonate was dropped into the tank, creating enough pressure to force water out of the hose connected to it. By 1911 the building housed a "14 and 1 truck,” three chemical carts, four hose reels, and 800 feet of hose., A tower was constructed on the east side of the building, probably to house a bell to call fire fighters to a fire and to hang hoses to dry after use. By 1917, it appears that the building was no longer used as a firefighting equipment house, but as storage. By 1931 the tower was demolished and the building served as a multiple family dwelling.