Hahn fire truck enthusiasts and retired employees relived the glory days of a Hamburg institution at a recent gathering at the Field House.
On Sept. 28, more than 40 former Hahn Motors Incorporated workers joined together in the largest reunion in the history of the now-shuttered company. To honor what was once a premier manufacturer of high-quality, custom fire trucks and apparatus, fire companies and collectors from as far away as South Carolina and Rhode Island brought more than seventy fire trucks from different eras.
The display, featuring trucks built from 1916 through the 1980s, filled the Field House parking lot as retirees gathered inside and awards were presented. Event directors Bill Anderson, of the Cradle of Liberty Antique Fire Apparatus Association, Mike Kitsock, of the Schuylkill Historical Fire Society, and Kevin Hartman, of the Union Fire Co. #1 of Hamburg, considered the design, functionality and unusual features of the trucks before awarding The Rooster trophy, for the truck that best represented the Hahn brand, to the 1949 Hahn of Lookout Fire Company in Pen Argyl.
Hahn, which means “rooster” in German, started as a wagon manufacturer in Leesport in 1898. The company moved to Hamburg in the early 1900s and began building fire trucks. At that time, Hahn employed more than a hundred people, from mechanics to painters to plumbers and accountants. They built fire trucks to exact customized specifications for fire companies throughout the country. The company closed in 1989 after 91 years in the Northern Berks area.
Ken Buohl, from Hanover, a third-generation fire fighter, coordinated the Hahn Motors and Reunion Muster as a tribute to the Hahn brand and its employees.
“This was a one-time, historical event to mark the 25th anniversary of the company’s closing,” Buohl said. “Hahn was a well-known local employer. For people to be able to see different years, models and styles of Hahn trucks is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
The idea to hold a reunion started among members of the Society for the Preservation and Appreciation of Antique Motor Fire Apparatus in America (SPAAMFAA).
“People who collect these fire trucks are fanatics about it,” said Buohl, who owns his own fire truck from the 1800s. “The 52 chapters across the country talked about putting a show together and the idea gained speed last summer. We opened it up to all members of SPAAMFAA and all modern fire truck owners, too.”
Realizing that it had been 25 years since Hahn closed, Buohl decided to pair the fire truck show with ceremonies to recognize the employees who once worked for the company.
“This reunion is overdue,” said Dave Griffiths, of Schuylkill Haven. “There should have been some recognition before now.”
Griffiths was an employee in the paint department at Hahn from 1966 – 1989. He said that high quality materials, such as paint that cost $25 a gallon in the 1970s, made the Hahn trucks real showpieces. To honor the time and effort of former employees, each one who attended the reunion received a Hahn appreciation plaque emblazoned with a pewter rooster insignia.
Many retirees spoke of the pride with which they built the trucks.
“It was standard procedure for the companies that ordered trucks to come for up to four visits to make sure that the product was custom built for what they needed,” said Bob Hein, a sales representative for the company. “It’s very moving to see the pride and care that are still taken with these trucks.”
Gary Hasenaur, of Hamburg, started as an assembler at Hahn in 1959 and eventually moved up to Crew Leader in the assembly department before the company closed in 1989. He said the closure, prompted by the owner’s unpaid business debts in the millions of dollars, was hard on the workers. Even though the employees in Local Steelworkers Union 3900 faced the loss of their jobs 25 years ago, they fought for and received their pensions, and still have affection for their colleagues and the work they did.
“This brings back a lot of memories,” said Hasenaur. “I know some of these trucks displayed here because I worked on them.”
Jim Steffy, another Hahn assembly mechanic from Auburn, echoed Hasenaur’s thoughts. “There were a lot of good people, very intelligent guys, who worked here,” Steffy said. “The craftsmanship was great.”
Ken Buohl hoped those reuniting and those encountering Hahn trucks for the first time would leave the event with an historical knowledge about the company and the manner in which the trucks were built.
“Some of the items on display had never been seen before,” said Buohl. “People seem to enjoy what we’re doing and we hope they take away a new understanding of the importance of the Hahn fire truck.”
