Fireboat celebrates 125 years of service

Postmark Pursuit by Linn’s Staff

As part of its 2025 Cotterfest celebration, the Edward M. Cotter Conservancy is offering a pictorial postmark honoring 125 years of the fireboat Edward M. Cotter. The fireboat is still in use by the Buffalo Fire Department in Buffalo, N.Y., and is the oldest active vessel dedicated to firefighting. The cancel features the historic boat on patrol.

Originally named William S. Grattan, after the first paid fire commissioner for the city of Buffalo, the boat was built in 1900 by the Crescent Shipyard of Elizabeth Port, N.J. The ship’s construction started on March 24, 1900, and the fireboat was christened Sept. 1, 1900. The final construction cost for the vessel was $91,000.

After more than 50 years in service, the ship was rebuilt in 1953 by the Buffalo Dry Dock Company and renamed Firefighter upon its return to service. This renaming was brief, however, when in the following year it was given its current name, Edward M. Cotter, in memory of the late Edward Cotter, a Buffalo firefighter and leader of the local firefighters union.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Buffalo’s waterfront was an extremely busy center of commerce, with grain elevators, warehouses and shipping traffic that led to the need for marine firefighting capabilities. In 1900 the now 125-year-old fireboat was built to assist two existing but aging fireboats, John T. Hutchinson and George R. Potter, as industries and shipping grew along the area’s rivers.

Five mounted fire canons aboard the ship are capable of pumping 15,000 gallons per minute. Along with its regular firefighting duties, during the winter months the fireboat is also used as an icebreaker on the rivers in and around Buffalo. On July 4, 1996, Edward M. Cotter was designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service.

The Edward M. Cotter Conservancy was formed on Jan. 29, 2016, to aid in efforts to maintain and preserve the fireboat. To support and raise public awareness, the conservancy hosted the inaugural Cotterfest celebrating the fireboat on June 25, 2023. The now annual festival includes music, food, ship tours and trips aboard the historic vessel.

To obtain the postmark, address your request to:

CONSERVANCY Station, Postmaster, 1200 William St., Room 200, Buffalo, NY 14240-9998, Nov. 15.

Share information by writing to Postmark Pursuit, Box 882, Troy, OH 45373.

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