The Liberty No. 1 Engine House was built in 1892.
On April 12, 1892, Council bought land from John Hartley for $55 with plans to build a fire house & jail. A. B. Trimmer, a local contractor, was awarded the contract for $1,079.50 and completed the building in 6 months.
On October 4, 1892, a 400-pound bell for the bell tower was purchased, and on October 17, William Feiser placed the bell in the bell tower for a labor charge of only $2.50.
Changes were needed over the years to accommodate larger equipment in place of horse drawn pumps. The floor was lowered and doors were enlarged and moved. The old jail in the back corner was removed, but the metal sheathing on the walls and tiny barred windows remain.
Weather & insects took their toll and the East Berlin Historical Preservation Society leased the building from the Borough in 1990, and agreed to restore it. Much exterior work was done soon after, including repair of the rotting bell tower, replacement of the spire, and restoration of the bell. The Society ended its lease agreement in 2019, and the Liberty No.1 Engine House is now in the care of the East Berlin Borough.
Historical details in this post were compiled from the East Berlin Historical Preservation Society’s website, and from “The Wheels of Time II,” by the East Berlin Founder’s Day Committee (2014).