The Rescue Hook and Ladder Co.1 Haverstraw NY was formed in 1854 following an incident in which the congregation of a local church organized to fight a barn fire. Subsequently the village held a meeting to raise the funds needed to purchase the necessary apparatus for a hook and ladder company, and the company was formed with 38 charter members. A truck was purchased shortly afterwards with replacements purchased in 1887 and 1899, all of which were maintained at various locations over that time-period. The company had had no permanent meeting rooms until 1880, when the village erected a building for its use.