This page has local and other Pennsylvania Badges (fire department, police, constable, security guard, employee, fraternal, visitor, event), Buttons, Medals, Mirrors, various Pinback Buttons (badges), Ribbons, Tags (property, luggage, key, dog license), Arm Patches, and more. Tokens are listed on our Tokens Page.
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From the 1869-70 DIRECTORY of FRENCH CREEK, OIL CREEK AND ALLEGHENY VALLEYS:
MEADVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT
Cussewago Engine – Centre street. Foreman, Henry Oster. Rough and Ready Engine – Second Street. Foreman, Ed Pentz. Torrent Engine – North Street. Foreman, George S. Rowland. J. D. Gill, (steamer) – City Hall. Engineer, D. H. Boyd. Taylor Hose – R.R. near Depot. Foreman, H. J. Appleby. Hope Hose – City Hall. Foreman, G. L. Mahoney. Keystone Hook and Ladder Co. – City Hall. Foreman, Thomas R. Cowell. Fire Police – City Hall. Captain, Wm. Gill, Jr.
There are some great pictures of the some of the old Meadville horse-drawn fire-fighting equipment, and the new Central Fire Station on our Meadville Post Card Page.
By 1904 Meadville, Pa. had the following hose companies:
Taylor Hose Company #1 (closed when Central Station was taken over by the career fire department)
Hope Hose Company #2 (closed when Central Station was taken over by the career fire department)
Dick Hose Company #3
Davis Hose Company #4
Keystone Hose Company #5
In Image FR1, the ribbon on the left, says: July 4, 1884. Compliments of Taylor Hose, -No. 1- MEADVILLE, Pa. The ribbon on the right, says: M. PARK DAVIS HOSE CO. MEADVILLE, PENNA. It is over eight inches long.
In Image FR2, the left, blue ribbon, is in very rough shape. Its top, has a badge, that shows an early cart used in fire-fighting. The middle of the ribbon, has only partially survived, and what is left of it, says: AT HOME – MEADVILLE – AUG. 18-19-20, 1897. It had a piece that said Davis Hose, but it didn’t survive the handling. The red ribbon on the right, has a metal top with pin, and a button hanging down, that says: Annual Convention Meadville, Pa. 1897. The ribbon says: BROWN HOSE NO. 1, NO. CLARENDON, PA.
In Image FR3, the left ribbon says: DAVIS HOSE CO. MEADVILLE, PA. AT BRADFORD, PA. AUG. 16-17-18, ’99. The badge on the right says: DELEGATE 9TH ANNUAL NORTHWEST PA. FIREMEN’S ASS’N MEADVILLE, PA. AUG. 24-25-26 1939.
On October 13 and 14, 1948, the Meadville Optimist Club presented “NOW and THEN” Minstrel Revue at the Meadville High School Auditorium, to raise money to aid in the development of the boys of Meadville into “Leaders of Tomorrow”. Inside the front cover of the show’s program (part of the cover is shown in the background of the image to the right), it mentions the Optimist Junior Police program. The badge shown in the image to the right, is one of the badges used in that program. It says: PATROLMAN JUNIOR POLICE MEADVILLE PA (with the OPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL seal in the middle).
We have a 28-page booklet titled Chief Company – Subordinate Companies 1980-1981. It was issued to the members of the State Police Crawford & Erie Counties. It has detailed uniform (and accessories) information, including the pictures of the summer and winter uniforms shown in the image above. It also has lists of: Suppliers of badges, police equipment, ammunition, weapons & Sergeant’s supplies; Chief Company Board of Officers 1980-81; Appointed Officers of Chief Company; Past Chiefs of Police; Deceased Past Chiefs; Honorary Past Chiefs; Deceased Honorary Past Chiefs; Honorary Past Chiefs (50 Year Members); Schedule of Company Meetings; Subordinate Companies (with the company numbers for each individual area company, and it lists the members of each of the individual companies, including their addresses and phone numbers). After I listed this booklet, we got a second booklet dated 1976-1977. In the images above, we can identify the company numbers from these booklets, but the much older CO. 42 badge in the right image isn’t listed. If anyone has any information about that company, I’d appreciate hearing from you.
We also have a booklet printed by Dwight J. Roberts, Printer, Erie, Pa., that is a List of Officers of the Grand Encampment of State Police and Home Guards of Pennsylvania and Ohio – Elected and Installed at Conneaut O. June 14, 1898. Here are the camp numbers and locations in Crawford County, Pennsylvania: No. 1 Springboro, No. 9 Hayfield Township, No. 11 Meadville, No. 13 Watson Run, No. 17 Beaver Center, No. 20 Penn Line, No. 26 Shaw’s, No. 37 Westford, No. 40 Espyville, No. 46 Espyville Station, No. 48 Kerrtown, No. 50 Harmonsburg, No. 52 Spartansburg, No. 55 Atlantic, No. 64 Conneautville, No. 65 Titusville.
This Spirella pin (above) was made by Langrock Bros, Co. New York. It has the company logo, and appears to be 18 Kt gold. The Spirella (Corset) Company, Inc. was started in Meadville, Pa. in 1904. At its peak, it had facilities in Meadville, Pa., New Haven Conn., Lincoln, Neb., Niagara Falls, Canada, the U.K. and Sweden. The 1 3/4 inch diameter badge below says: THE SPIRELLA COMPANY MEADVILLE PENNA., U.S.A. – ANNUAL OUTING, SEPT. 3, 1910 – NIAGARA FALLS, CANADA. It is not a pinback. It has a split ring, which suggests it probably hung below a ribbon, or it could have been worn on a chain.
George W. Delamater was born in Meadville, Pa. in 1849. He became a prominent banker and served as a state senator from 1887 to 1890. This campaign medal, lapel button, and campaign ribbon, are from his unsuccessful campaign to become governor of Pennsylvania in the 1890 election. By looking at other historical pictures, we can see that the bust on the medal shown below, is an accurate representation of Mr. Delamater. The lapel button, has a stud on the back for insertion into the lapel’s buttonhole. The back of the medal says: PRESENTED BY THE REPUBLICAN STATE COMMITTEE OF PENNSYLVANIA. He died in 1907.
The last image shows three Talon Inc. service awards. The left award is a pinback for 10 years of service. The middle award for 25 years service, is a tie clip (holder). The last award, is another pinback for 15 years service. They are all marked gold filled 10K.
The last three images above, show groups of local fraternal badges.
In image FR4, the first item on the left, is the original envelope for the Sheakleyville badge. It has the year 1883 on the back. The first badge, is the front of an Independent Order of Oddfellows (I.O.O.F.) badge, from the W.G. Brown Lodge, No. 592, Sheakleyville, Pa. The next badge, is the front of a Woodcock Centre Grange No. 1034, Saegertown, Pa. badge. The last badge, on the right is the front of a Vernon Grange No. 936, Meadville, Pa. badge. Image FR5 shows the backs of the three badges shown in image FR4.
In image FR6, the box on the left, is the original box for the Ancient Order of United Workmen (A.O.U.W.) badge, shown beside it. Next is a Loyal Order of Moose badge. The last badge on the right, is a member badge for the Meadville, Pa. L.O.O.M. (Loyal Order of Moose) Lodge No. 99.
These next two images show the fronts and backs of four ribbon-style badges. The left (Odd Fellows) badge is from the Cussewago Lodge No. 108 I.O.O.F. Meadville, Pa. The second badge is from Lodge, No. 1100 of the International Association of Machinists, Meadville, Pa. This badge is missing the front medal that would have been suspended by a ribbon beneath the top pin holder. The third badge is from Lodge 327 International Association of Machinists, Meadville, Pa. It is also missing a few items. We haven’t completely figured out the fourth badge, but it appears to commemorate the founding or start of something in S.S. Pittsburg, [sic} Pa. Dec. 2, 1906. (Possibly South Side Pittsburgh?) I will update when I find out more.
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