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JULY 2010 - FEATURED DEPARTMENT

CHINCOTEAGUE VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY
STATION 3


The following article was submitted by the
Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company

Each year the Chincoteague firefighters become “Saltwater Cowboys” and travel to the Virginia portion of Assateague Island to round-up the famous “wild ponies”. The Fire Co. maintains a grazing permit with the federal government to keep 150 adult ponies on the Virginia portion of Assateague Island. After the ponies are rounded up during the third week of July, they are surrounded by the saltwater cowboys on horseback and walked to the edge of the channel between Assateague Island and Chincoteague Va., where they will make their famous swim. After arriving on Chincoteague, they will be rested and then driven down Main Street, by the cowboys to a corral at the carnival grounds. The next day, the foals approximately 4 months old will be auctioned off, and the next day the remaining ponies will make a reverse trip back to Assateague. The reason for the auction is two-fold, it keeps the herd down to a government mandated grazing level, and also raises money for the local volunteer fire company that owns the ponies. The pony swim is always held the last Wednesday of July. The swim is viewed by approximately forty to fifty - thousand people on the shoreline and from boats. All the money we raise goes for fire and rescue equipment (including new fire trucks and ambulances). We also have to maintain the fire station and all the rides and stands at the carnival grounds. The swim has been filmed by media such as –Good morning America- The Today Show- FX cable- The Discovery Channel and film crews from Japan, and Germany; to name a few. The Fire Company came to own the famous ponies after a devastating fire destroyed part of the town in 1925 and the townspeople decided to start their own Fire Co. After the president and chief were elected, the hat was passed to collect money to buy the first equipment. Later a fund-raising event, in the form of a picnic, bingo and small carnival, was held to raise more money, and the Co. decided to combine this event with a livestock penning that took place annually on Assateague , Chincoteague, and Wallops Island. This penning took place to, brand, separate, buy, sell, and trade horses, ponies, sheep, and cattle that grazed over all these islands. Since many of the stockmen that owned these animals were also firemen, the money that was raised from the sale of some of the ponies was donated to the fire co. This gave the firemen an idea to start raising their own herd of ponies and sell off the young ones during this penning as the main fund raiser for the fire company.  During the pennings, the fire co. would brand their ponies with the letter, “F” on the front shoulder to let others know that these were owned by the Fire Company. Over the years the company would end up buying enough privately owned wild ponies to establish our own herd. The present wild-life refuge was established in 1943 and since our ponies were already grazing there, we applied for a grazing permit from the federal refuge system in 1946 and were granted one, to graze 150 head of adult brood-stock on the refuge. We have held the permit ever since .The only other person to hold a permit from the refuge to graze livestock on the refuge was Mr. Wyle Maddox, and he gave up his permit in 1951. As far as I have been able to research, the present auction dates back to the early 1950’s. Prior to this date it was just a pony sale. After the book about “MISTY” and then the movie with the same was made, the ponies became world famous, and like they say, (the rest is history). With the fire co. obtaining a registry for our ponies a few years ago, people are now seeing just how unique these ponies are. How gentle they are, and how easy they are to train when obtained at an early age. We sell approximately 70 to 80 foals per year with the average price of approximately $1,800.00 each over the past 4 years. This years event will take place Wednesday morning, July 27th with the Auction on Thursday morning, from 8 a.m.-12 noon.


Roe Terry,
Public Relations Officer
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History of the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company
(Re-printed by permission of the C.V.F.C.)

1905-1950
With homes built of wood and streets narrow and congested, a flying spark or a defective chimney was a hazard to the whole Island.  It was not until after the burning of one of W.C. Bunting's buildings and the "Pleasure Dome” that people began to realize the danger enough to try and find some protection. With the Island being so isolated from the mainland, fire equipment could not easily come to aid.  In 1905, a mass-meeting was called in the Community Hall of the M.E. Church building.  Committees were appointed to try and borrow from as many as they could to collect the sum of $25.00 to purchase some kind of firefighting equipment. Soon after the little hand pumped engine arrived, the home on North Main St. of W.L. Watson was destroyed by fire. A spark from this fire, fanned by a howling wind from the North West, jumped over to the roof of another building. With the aid of buckets and brave men, this little engine was able to not only save this building, but kept water sprayed on all the other buildings around. Later, another small gasoline engine was purchased, and everyone felt secure until Saturday, Sept. 5, 1920. The church bells began to ring, and riders on horseback began shouting throughout the town, "Fire, Fire". People came rushing with all kinds of buckets and the two small fire engines were brought out for use. One of these engines had been neglected for 16 years, and the other one was too small to do any good. The terrible fire destroyed 12 homes and business places on the West Side of Town. Fire equipment came from Pocomoke City, Md., but due to the bitter cold and freezing weather, little could be done to save the buildings already on fire.



These events caused a little band of men (25) with the same courage and determination by the founders of this great country, to organize against this evil force. The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company was organized in May, 1924, with 14 members. Mr. Lee Roy Conant was elected president, and Mr. Eba Jones Fire Chief. There were no funds to purchase equipment to carry on the work of this organization. The sum of $4.16 was acquired by the "passing of the hat" and the company was launched into being.

The first order of business for the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company was to purchase a fire truck with a capacity of 750 gallons of water and 2,000 feet of hose.  In order to pay for this equipment the firemen held their first carnival which included a “Pony Penning Day”. The proceeds were used as the initial payment on the equipment. 

In 1930, a large brick Fire Station was built at the cost of $32,000. This new station and all equipment were free from debt by 1935.

In 1936, the Fire Company purchased a GMC Chassis, on which the American La France equipment was mounted and two thousand feet of hose. The cost of this purchase was $5,500. In 1938, the Fire Company purchased a Ferris wheel and Merry-go-round at a cost of $6,000.

As "Pony Penning Day" had already been celebrated on the Island for many years, it was decided that the Fire Company would purchase some ponies to be auctioned during the event. The Fire Company bought eighty ponies, 60 mares and 6 stallions from the estate of Joseph Pruitt. This investment decision proved not only profitable, but has ever since been a means of attracting thousands of annual visitors to the Island to see the famous Wild Pony Round-up. Since 1924, the only years the carnival was not held, were during World War II between 1943-1945. Please click on Pony Info for more information on the famous Chincoteague Ponies and history of the annual Pony Penning Day events.

Contact Information:
Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company
4028 Main Street
Chincoteague Island, Virginia 23336-2402
(757) 336-3138


Click below to visit Chincoteague Vol. Fire Company

 

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