Massachusetts V. F. A. Cabinet Photo

Hello,

Purchased this piece recently (came from Texas)
brought it back home here to Boston. Thought it was pretty neat!

The men seem to have uniforms as well as a good deal of badges.

I believe the banner says "Massachusetts V. F. A."

Photographer Mark (on back)

Harry W. Brown
1317 Washington St. Boston

Though I'm not sure what that is. (Volunteer Fire Association?)

Also, they seem to all have brooms.

Any help would be appreciated!
Warm Regards,
Scantic

 

I believe that the VFA is Volunteer Fire Assistance, more social club than not these days, though I may have that mixed with another organization.

 

Fighting fire.....with a broom...

 

Yeah, haha what's with the brooms!?

 

Should have stipulated that I do not believe that this is related to the CVFA (Call Volunteer Fire Assistance) - the current volunteer fire fighters of Massachusetts

 

Oh, heckydamn - I may have this totally screwed up.............Bev may know, she's up on Mass history.................

 

I think it's Veteran Fireman's Association. Looks like there's one in every town and appears to have been around since well-back into the 1800's (and maybe earlier.) There are VFAs in lots of other states too. They currently act as social clubs, but also preserve the historical artifacts of firefighting in times past - handtubs, fire buckets, etc. (Isn't that a bucket in the foreground?)Maybe the brooms were related to some special event or "clean up" to prevent fires?

A lot of the men in hats have something written across the hats? Maybe a magnifying glass could help you see what it say?

 

It is a bucket in the foreground! I'll grab a magnifying glass now and check on those hats!

 

Back when, it was not unusual to see brooms associated with fire fighting. Brooms were used to smother fires especially wildfires like across grasslands when water was not available. Here are a couple of early 1900 firemen posed with brooms.
https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/129986
https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/129987

Here is new broom used in firefighting. This one is chemically treated.
https://www.heimanfireequipment.com...d=379?osCsid=8445fa6b74e0c328e28df6381dc3e840
http://www.wfrfire.com/handtools/TOOL/BROOM.asp

On the Massachusetts digital collection:
https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:3r074x40t

Brooms used in wildfires in Winnipeg:
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/lo...t-flames-in-assiniboine-forest-149195635.html

--- Susan

 

Holy Cow!!! I never knew this! And the fact that they still use them! That's incredible! I had no idea!

 

Okay - so i wasn't totally off base - good to know that I do remember SOME things.............even if I can't remember, um, I mean, er, remember................oh cwap...............