Newark’s 43rd Annual Firemen’s Fair and Muster
On June 6, 2010, the Newark Fire Department Historical Association and The Newark Museum hosted the 43rd Annual Firemen’s Fair and Muster in Washington Park and the Newark Museum’s Alice Dreyfuss Memorial Garden. The event honored all of Newark’s Firefighters who have fallen in the line of duty, and the technology, dedication, and commitment of Newark and New Jersey firefighters past and present.
A ceremony was held before the parade at the memorial plaque in front of the Newark Fire Museum, which is housed in the Housed in the Ward Carriage House in the Alice & Leonard Dreyfuss Memorial Garden on the campus of the Newark Museum. The ceremony honored Newark Firefighters who fell in the line of duty in years ending with the numeral “0,” which was attended by relatives and descendants of such firefighters. Here, Helen Clayton (left) and Ray Schumacher (right) point out the names of their ancestors on the plaque. Ms. Clayton’s great-grandfather was Lt. Joseph J. Owens, who died on Christmas Day in 1911, two days after his fire truck crashed into another vehicle, while both were answering a call. He fell to the curb and was fatally injured in the crash.
It was her second Muster. Mr. Schumacher is the grandson of Fireman John Schumacher, who went to fight a fire in 1938, and suffered a heart attack from the exertion. Both were excited to find the “This is the first time I’ve been to this ceremony. It’s really something how they relate this to other people. It keeps the memory of these men active,” Mr. Schumacher said. For more information on The Newark Fire Museum, contact The Newark Museum at (973) 596-6550. For information on the Newark Fire Department Historical Society, visit their web page at http://newarkfirehistory.com/
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