History

Many years ago The Ludwigs Corner Fire Company was only a dream in the head of one man, John Harris. John would eventually become the very first chief of the Ludwigs Corner fire company.

Chief Harris had an idea to start a fire company after he saw that the community in the surrounding area of Ludwigs Corner lacked one. John and the other original members, who were part of a local Boy Scout Troop, 89, decided that when it disbanded they would put their efforts into making a fire company a reality. They went before the board of directors of the Boy Scout Troop and asked them to donate all that was left of their treasury to the starting of what is now Station 73. It was then on July 27th, 1972 in the community room of the St. Andrews Church, that the founding members of the now Ludwigs Corner Fire Company Station 73 held an organizational meeting to put into motion the aspirations of the founding members. In September of 1972, the station was chartered and on March 15th, 1973 the station was made operational.

Of course starting a fire company was not easy. There was a need for trucks, gear, and a station to store everything in. With the help of other fire companies and neighbors these needs were slowly meet. The Thorndale Fire Company, Station 38, donated, to us, our first fire truck. It was an American LaFrance that they sold to us for one dollar, just to make things official. It was only a few months later, in that same year that Kimberton Fire Company also donated a fire truck. This one was a 1956 International pumper also sold to us for one dollar. Then in the 1973 another truck was given to us by the Kimberton fire company for one dollar, it was a 1946 International.

Trucks were not the only important thing given to the new fire company.

At the start the firefighters of Ludwigs Corner had no training in the fire service and without insurance they had no way of being accepted to the fire academy. So the Kimberton Fire Company allowed the members to join them so they would be covered to go to fire school. This allowed for our members to serve the community with pride and was another reason that without Kimberton, Ludwigs would have not had such a good foundation. Other stations also helped with the shaping of the up and coming fire company. The Ridge Fire Company, Station 62, donated twelve brand new sets of gear and The Lionville and Elverson fire companies also donated equipment to help get the trucks and fire fighters started.

It was with a lot of hard work that in 1974 a brand-new truck was bought. 73-1 was a 1974 GMC 1,000 gallon/minute major pumper. With the contributions from the Ludwigs Corner Ladies Auxiliary the new truck was made possible.

With trucks and training in hand the final piece to the puzzle was a station. These needs were first addressed by Bob Heitzmen and his wife Joan when they allowed for the trucks and gear to be stored in their barn. After that, the station jumped around from being stored at The Griffith's family property on Rt.100 to Wetherills, De Mauriacs, and then finally to Walt Styer’s garage. However the most generous contribution came from Clyde and Marry Griffith when generously donated three and a half acres of commercial property. With this donation a permanent home was made for the Ludwigs Corner Fire Company. Griffith Hall, which is attached to the firehouse, was named in honor of the family that made the new firehouse possible.

Like any organization as the years progress the fire company changes, and new leadership comes and goes. After John Harris took his leave from chief, the boots were taken and filled by Lew Deputy, Martin Blumenthal, Allen Cleaver (1984-2004), Devin Guth (2005-2011), Dick Hahn (2012-2016), Jeff Kimes (2017-2020) and now our current Fire Chief, Ross Trego (2020-Current)

For 48 years the Ludwigs Corner fire company has served the community with pride and professionalism and will continue to do so into the future.

The history of the fire company is still being made today. With every call and every day the station is filled with more memories and dedication to last a lifetime.