Ipswich History

The Ipswich Historical Society is sharing articles written by IHS students. The students visited the museum, researched and wrote about events, people and businesses in the community.

Ipswich Fire Dept.

by Dylan Owens

If you stroll down the streets in Ipswich you will see many old buildings. One of the oldest buildings you’ll see is the Ipswich Fire Department. Built in either 1886 or 1887, the building has housed firemen and equipment for nearly 150 years according to Ipswich, South Dakota 1883-1983. The building served a great purpose, however, due to its age, a new fire department was built in 1981.

The people of Ipswich dug an artesian well near the railroad tracks. They were in desperate need of a good source of water for the Fire Department. The townspeople laid lines east and north of the well into the business section of the town. This well only lasted for a few years. The city had to go back to the former bucket brigade method.

After some discussion, the townsmen decided to dig another artesian well. After building these wells, they decided that a new fire department should be organized on April 7, 1911.

In 1932, the townsmen started adding equipment like a new fire truck, the truck had to be retired but is in the process of being restored and is going to lead the parades in the future. The 1950 fire truck had to be taken out of service in 1959 so a new truck could be purchased with proper firefighting equipment. The truck was only used for town calls and house fires.

The townsmen decided they need a different truck to fight grass fires. Therefore, in 1974 a one ton dodge was purchased. They used money received from the assessments of the townships for fire protection.

In 1981, an army truck that can hold 1800 gallons of water was purchased to transport water to fires. They also built the new fire station and it was used to house the ambulance, four fire trucks, the city office, and a large meeting room.

In 1983 there were 25 active volunteer firemen. Today, there are 28 active volunteer firemen they raise money for new equipment by holding fundraisers, The Haunted Trail, and their well-known fire department smoker. In the past few years, they have had to fight some bad fires like the one at the Mina Bar, Mina Elevator, and a house fire.