Building

On February 10, 1908 The Fire company purchased a lot with frontage of 33 feet for $550.00, owned by B.F. Michael. This property lay between his store and the hotel.  A contract for a building 33 feet wide 60 feet deep, 2 stories with a basement, finished on the interior with plaster and wains coating and a brick veneer on 3 sides of the exterior.  The contract was awarded to Whipple Brothers for the sum f $3,040.00 on March 23, 1908.  The building was piped for gas which served for lighting until 1922.  In 1922, the lighting was changed over to electricity with the contract for the job was given to D.E. Hair for the sum of $117.25.  In order to finance the purchase of the building, the company borrowed $2,400.00 from P.H. Brink on a first mortgage, which was paid off in payments ranging from $50 - $100 with interest whenever the money was available.  Evidently there was no set time on when the mortgage was finally paid off long after Mr. Brink's death. As the building neared completion, there were many discussions on whether to rent sections of the hall.  Nine months after the completion of the building, the borough council rented the meeting room for $60.00 per year.  The borough also maintained a jail in the basement of the building in the same section that the Baker's Market occupied earlier in the year. Basketball was first played on the second floor of the building in the winter of 1909 through 1910. The hall continued to be used for that purpose until winter of 1930 through 1931 at which time the Laceyville School building was used.   In 1914, what was then the Library room, the room was rented to the Federal Government for use as a Post Office for te sum of $375. per year.  Equipment for the Post Office had to be furnished by the fire company for $300 from the Seigfried Post Office.  Later that year in December, The post office closed.  In 1925 the room that was the post office was rented to L.L. Ervine who operated a meat market there for several years before selling to Edward Donohue who later sold out to Boyd Baker.  In 1952, this room was remodeled to house one of the company's fire trucks.