SEAGRAVE

Seagrave Co. (1907-1919)
Seagrave Corp. (1919-1963)
Columbus, Ohio
Seagrave Fire Apparatus Div., FWD Corp. (1963-2003)
Seagrave Fire Apparatus LLC (2003-present)
Clintonville, Wisconsin

This is a Seagrave fire engine radiator emblem (dates)  mjs
Size: 76mm wide 54mm high   MM: D L Auld

The Seagrave Company had been building horse-drawn fire apparatus since 1881 but began building motorized fire appliance vehicles in 1907 and became one of America's best-known manufacturers of fire apparatus. The first Seagrave motorized vehicles were powered by four-cylinder engines and the first three were delivered to fire departments in Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada. In 1909 Seagrave built a truck tractor for articulated fire fighting ladders. In 1911 Seagrave built its first centrifugal pumper using a six-cylinder engine. For 1914 a passenger-type fire vehicle was built called a Chief's Auto with seats for two people and a chemical tank or seating for five passengers.

Seagrave built a wide variety of fire engines during the 1920's, including pumpers from 750gpm to 1,300gpm. In 1932 Seagrave introduced its 240 hp V-12 engine. Some Seagrave fire appliances were built using Ford and Reo chassis as well as their own in the 1930's due to the Depression. Articulated ladder trucks were built through the 1930's and 1940's. In 1951 Seagrave vehicles were completely restyled.

In 1955 Seagrave acquired Maxim Motor Company but was itself bought out by FWD (see FWD) in 1963 and production moved to Clintonville, Wisconsin. Seagrave continued to manufacture a range of pumpers, rescue units, aerial towers and related fire apparatus. In 2003 FWD and its assets, including Seagrave, were acquired by an investment group but Seagrave still builds fire apparatus (as of 2021).

Emblems

The horse-drawn Seagrave fire engines from 1881 through to 1912 displayed the "Seagrave" name on small brass nameplates, see example shown below. This Seagrave nameplate is rare.

This is a Seagrave horse-drawn fire apparatus nameplate (c1905)  mjs
Size: 105mm wide 67mm high

The first motorized Seagrave fire engines from 1907 had a flat face dash in front of the driver, see example shown below:

Seagrave fire engine with flat face dash (1911)     windsorfire

From 1907 to 1914, the AC-53 and AC-8 fire truck models displayed the "Seagrave" name on serial plates attached to the inside of the flat face dash. There was no other nameplate or emblem.

Seagrave fire engines built from about 1913 with a long hood in front of the driver displayed the "Seagrave" name on a large rectangular nameplate mounted on the body sides just under the entrance to the driver's cab, see examples shown below. Initially these Seagrave nameplates were probably brass but by the late teens were aluminum. Original Seagrave nameplates of this design are very rare.

Seagrave ladder truck with body side nameplate (1914)   matt lee

Seagrave fire engine with body side nameplate (c1914)  wmcc

Close up showing Seagrave body side nameplate 

The first Seagrave radiator emblem appeared about 1916. This oval shaped emblem continued in use for many years through 1951 with slight variations, see red, white and blue enamel Seagrave radiator emblem shown above at the top of this post and again below. This Seagrave radiator emblem is scarce.

This is a Seagrave fire engine radiator emblem (1916-1951) mjs
Size: 76mm wide 54mm high   MM: D L Auld

The following Seagrave radiator emblem is a slight variation of lettering size:

This is a Seagrave fire engine radiator emblem (1916-1951) mjs
Size: 76mm wide 54mm high   MM: Unknown (poss D L Auld)

From about 1930 to about 1940, Seagrave fire engines displayed a large painted letter "S" mounted in the center of the front bumpers, see examples shown below:

Seagrave fire engine with bumper emblem (1935)  michael mietlicki

Seagrave bumper emblem (1936)    capecodfd

From 1933 to about 1946, Seagrave fire engines also displayed the "Seagrave" name on cast metal nameplates mounted on the body sides under the entrance to the driver's cab, see example shown below:

Seagrave fire engine with body side nameplate (1935)  wmcc

Close up showing body side nameplate

This is the cast metal Seagrave body side nameplate shown below. This Seagrave nameplate is scarce.

This is a Seagrave body side nameplate (1933-c1946)   mjs
Size: 200mm wide 63mm high   MM: None

This Seagrave nameplate was also mounted on the door of the tool compartment at the rear of the fire truck.

The following photo of a 1936 Seagrave ladder truck shows the radiator emblem, front bumper emblem, body side nameplate and a small round hood side emblem located just ahead of the hood vent louvres:

Seagrave truck with bumper emblem, body side nameplate & hood side emblem (1936) capecodfd

The following is a close-up showing the hood side vent louvres and emblem:

Seagrave hood side emblem (1937)    capecodfd

This is the cast metal Seagrave hood side emblem shown below. This Seagrave emblem is rare.

This is a Seagrave hood side emblem (1935-1944)   ms
Size: Unknown

The Seagrave hood side emblem was changed to a chrome letter "S" from about 1945, see example shown below:

This shows the Seagrave hood side emblem (1949)  capecodfd

Seagrave fire engines at this time also displayed a hood ornament with a painted chrome letter "S", see example shown below:

Close up showing radiator emblem & hood ornament (1949) capecodfd

The 70th Anniversary Series fire engines introduced in 1951 had completely new styling with a rounded hood carrying the siren in the center. These fire engines also carried a large chrome plated cast "Seagrave" belt-buckle style emblem mounted on the radiator grille with a small round painted chrome hood side nameplate, see photos shown below. This Seagrave grille emblem continued in use with some variations until 1970.

Seagrave pumper with grille & hood side emblems (1951) capecodfd

Seagrave pumper showing bumper emblem (1951)  capecodfd

This is a Seagrave bumper emblem (1951-1970)    ms
Size: Unknown

Seagrave pumper showing hood side emblem (1951)  capecodfd

The "Seagrave" name was also displayed on a painted cast metal script nameplate attached to the upper front corner of the rear fenders, see example shown below. The same Seagrave nameplate was also displayed on the front of Seagrave cab-forward fire engines from 1959 through c1971.

Seagrave rear fender nameplate (c1951)  capecodfd

This is the painted, cast metal script Seagrave nameplate shown below.

This is a Seagrave nameplate (1951-c1971)    mjs
Size: 223mm wide 60mm high   MM: Unknown