Hunneman Hand-drawn Fire Pumper, 1836

Hunneman & Company, founded in Boston in 1792, was known for the high quality of its hand-pumped fire equipment, like this example. When in use, the long bars -- called brakes -- were placed on the ends of the pumper. Teams of firefighters pushed them up and down to pump water. This pumper originally served the town of Orono, Maine.