History and Overview
Seagrave never built steam fire engines. In the early 1890s, Seagrave moved to Columbus, Ohio, and later became the Seagrave Company. In 1907 Seagrave starting building motor fire apparatus and quickly emerged as one of the leading builders of early motor fire apparatus. Seagrave went on to be one of the great names in fire apparatus.
Seagrave is one of the most venerable and important names in fire apparatus. Seagrave and Company was founded by Frederic Seagrave in 1891 in Detroit to build ladders and firefighting equipment. This later included hose wagons and ladder wagons.
The history of Seagrave is filled with innovations, such as the spring-raised aerial ladder, and centrifugal pumps. In 1964, Seagrave introduced its rear-mount aerial ladder truck design, called the Rear Admiral. Although rear-mount aerials were common in Europe since the start of the motorized era, they had not yet been accepted in the American fire service. Seagrave’s designed made the rear-mount aerial ladder truck the norm in the American fire service. This remains one of Seagrave’s most enduring legacies.
Seagrave continues to build a complete line of fire apparatus from its factory in Clintonville, Wisconsin. Seagrave is among the leading builders today, more than 110 years after it built its first motor fire apparatus.
