History of the McCann Fire Trucks
In 1872, Daniel E. McCann began the business "D.E. McCann and Sons" on Preble Street in Portland, Maine - as a blacksmith and carriage maker. The company specialized in horse-drawn and man-pulled fire apparatus.
When Daniel died in 1907, Carl, his youngest son (and the youngest of eleven children), took over the business. Shortly after, his older brother, Dennis, returned to Portland and joined him in the business.
From horse-drawn and man-pulled fire apparatus, D.E. McCann and Sons quickly moved into the automotive age by building motorized fire trucks in 1912.
During this period of time, D.E. McCann and Sons were one of seven manufacturers in the United States and the only manufacturer in the State of Maine that produced motorized fire apparatus.
The business expanded twice at the original site. In 1929, they built a larger building further down Preble Street, but the additions and the new building were not sufficient to accommodate the expanding business.
In 1931, the business bought several acres of land on Route 1 in Scarborough, Maine and built a large "U" shaped building in an assembly line fashion. A chassis entered on one side of the building, progressed through the different production shops (machine, body, welding, wood and paint shops) and exited on the other side of the building as a completed fire truck ready for delivery.
The business was terminated in the mid '50's. The building was sold in 1954.