La Mott Fire Company Turns 100!

"Stop, drop and roll" is one of my first memories of the La Mott Fire Company. When I was a Girl Scout Brownie, we were given a demonstration by some of the volunteers which included safety tips like the one mentioned.

Many people have devoted their time to fighting fires in the past. Volunteers have included my younger brother who served at La Mott until he moved out of the area as well as several other people from the neighborhood and nearby Lynnewood Gardens. Many a night he was awakened by his pager going off announcing that the fire company was called into service.

Founded in August 1910, La Mott's Fire Company is one of Cheltenham Township's five volunteer fire companies. It was formed by the sons of the early white settlers and now boasts a multicultural membership. Although many of us grew up with the knowledge of the fire company, the book 'Cheltenham Township' explains a bit more about its history including the equipment that was purchased through the years. The first location was on Willow Avenue and stored a two-wheeled hosecart. It was about the size of a small one-car garage. The first actual firehouse was a stone and mortar building that built in the same block on Willow Avenue in 1914 and used until 1957 when the current building opened on Penrose Avenue.

Congratulations La Mott! Keep up the fine work! And to you the reader...have you checked your smoke detector batteries lately?

Greetings!

Welcome to La Mott Through the Years.

The concept for this blog came about as a result of my genealogical research. Using the U.S. Census information, I've learned more about family members living in La Mott. For example, one of my great-grandfathers lived right around the corner from two of his sons and down the street from two other sons.

As I read the information about my mother's family, I noticed that in addition to race, age, and place of birth, one's occupation was included in the details. So where did my great-grandfather work as a chef? Where did one of his sons work as a printer? I also noticed that several people worked at a place called the "Tube Works." My interest in the community deepened and I wanted to learn more.

La Mott is a village that was named after the abolitionist, Lucretia Mott. She was born in Nantucket, Massachusetts and settled in Cheltenham Township right next to the land that was used as a training camp for colored soldiers and known as Camp William Penn. The township was named after its 'sister' city Cheltenham, England.

My goal for this blog is to write about the history of this neighborhood and the people who live here with occasional snippets of what's happening today. For other perspectives on La Mott, check out http://lamott.blogspot.com/ or the website http://www.historic-lamott-pa.com/.