Bellefonte’s Undine Fire Co. Celebrating 150 Years

BELLEFONTE — When Undine Volunteer Fire Co. was established 150 years ago, things looked a lot different in Bellefonte. But then, just as now, the company answered the call.

“When you call the fire department they are going to come,” said Jack Shultz.

Since 1974, Shultz has answered that call, serving as chief and president through the years.

According to Shultz, in the past, fire companies were called primarily for fires. Now, he said, they are the go-to for all emergencies, and are regularly dispatched for accidents, hazardous materials spills, medical assistance, traffic direction and natural disasters.

“They might not always be the solution, but they can initiate the solution for you,” Shultz said. “When people call the fire company, they know they are going to come. … You never get called for birthday parties. You get called for the worst of times.”

On Saturday, the company looked back at its long history of protecting families, homes and the community of Bellefonte over the past 150 years with a special dinner. It does this in the face of difficult times for fire companies across the state, with fewer and fewer members of the community volunteering.

In the 1970s, there were about 300,000 volunteer firefighters across the state. That number has fallen to about 38,000. This impact has been felt locally with volunteer numbers “extremely low at this time,” according to Shultz.

Like many others, Shultz got involved for the excitement of helping his community during times of need. Through the years, he has felt honored to be part of the long tradition.

“I didn’t build the program. Other people built it. I felt thankful that I was entrusted to carry it on and leave it in a better place than I found it, not that it was in a bad place,” Shultz said. He said he hopes that new members will learn and benefit from that tradition, just as he has.

According to the company’s written history, the tradition was born on Aug. 10, 1871, when several concerned young men held a meeting to upgrade the town’s ability to respond to fires. Later, a second meeting was held, and $1,025 was raised in support of starting a new volunteer fire company. The newly formed company petitioned the Centre County Court of Common Pleas for a charter under the name of “The Undine Fire Company of Bellefonte, PA. No. 2.”

Undine is a Greek word denoting a female water spirit who might receive a human soul by marrying a mortal. The court granted the charter in 1871.

Among the incorporators were two grandnephews of U. S. President James Buchanan and Andrew G. Curtin, Civil War governor of the commonwealth. The company elected Daniel Hastings, principal of the Bellefonte Public Schools, as its first president. Hastings was later elected Pennsylvania’s governor, serving from 1895-1899.

Construction of the first firehouse on West Bishop Street was finished on Nov. 10, 1871, and the company fought its first fire on Christmas Day 1871.

Through the years, the company has had several homes. A new firehouse was built on Logan Street in 1887 after the first one was destroyed by the great Strychnine Corner fire, which was set by an arsonist on March 20, 1885.

In 1899, the Undines moved to a new firehouse on East Bishop Street that cost $6,500. That firehouse burned in 1964 and the Undines rebuilt at the same location, calling it home ever since.

In the 1870s, during a time of the Long Depression, the company contemplated disbanding, but chose to reorganize. They eliminated membership dues and established the Undine Club of Bellefonte as a way to retain and attract members. The club remains as a way to attract members and provide a financial benefit to the community.

Over the years, the social club helped the company raise funds and invest in fire equipment that has saved the borough a considerable amount of money, said Shultz. The Undines report they have raised and contributed more than $1.2 million to purchase fire apparatus.

When Shultz became involved with the company, volunteering was a tradition for many families.

“My uncle was chief of the Logans and my dad belonged to the Undines,” he said with a laugh. “Back in those days, it was a lot of following in your family’s footsteps. That basically doesn’t really happen these days. I am one of the few people left who can marry that period to this period.”

Training for basic firefighting totals more than 168 hours.

“It is hard for someone to take on such a big commitment without getting paid. The time involved is what the problem is. Now we have two-income families instead of one, and if you have children, there are a lot of things that are begging for your time. … People are just really busy,” Shultz said.

But the training is important.

“It is a dangerous job,” he said. “I don’t care if you are a fire in New York City or a fire in Bellefonte, it is still a fire.”

The retired Shultz now calls himself the “old man of the firehouse,” responding to daylight calls while others are working and providing more than 45 years of firefighting advice. He said he is proud of being a part of 150 years of Undine Volunteer Fire Co. history and he hopes to keep passing that down to the next group of firefighters to protect the community, just as so many others have done before him.

“I just think it is a special calling, I really do,” he said.

This story appears in the Nov. 4-10 edition of the Centre County Gazette.