MOUNT UPTON – The 86th Chenango County Firemen’s Convention kicks off at 5:30 tonight at the Borden Hose Company fire department in Mount Upton.
“About 125 people are expected to be on hand,” said Borden hose company veteran volunteer firefighter James Percival.
The banquet will begin with a memorial and dedication ceremony where the past, present and future members of the volunteer department in both the Mt. Upton and Rockdale stations will be honored with a mill stone from Vermont.
Percival, a 62-year member of the department, said this will be the company’s fourth time hosting the convention, and this year is “special” because it is Borden’s centennial as well. “We are celebrating both the convention and 100 years in service,” he said.
Following the dedication ceremony, the banquet will include a social hour, dinner and speakers including New York State Assemblyman Cliff Crouch, Chenango County Fire Coordinator Matt Beckwith and representatives from Guilford.
A full day of events are scheduled at the department on Saturday, including a firematics show between 1 and 1:30 p.m., a chicken barbecue, a parade starting at 5:30 p.m., and various displays and seminars covering the fire department grounds.
A book describing the county and another compiled by Borden members will be on display and on sale.

History of the Borden Hose Company
The history of Borden Hose Company dates back to September 1908, after the first ever New Year’s Eve ball dropped in Times Square and the 46th star (representing Oklahoma) was added to the American Flag. Men working at the Borden Company in Mt. Upton were beginning to organize the area’s first fire department. The men were given orders to secure and protect the old Borden Milk Company from fire.
Eight years later, the department acquired its first chemical truck, which consisted of two tanks and extension ladders. It wasn’t until 15 years later that the company had its first real fire truck, a Model T Ford.
By 1925, as the department was still gaining ground, the greatest fire in the history of Mt. Upton occurred. Firefighter Percival, who joined in 1946, remembers what the “old timers” would recall from “the great fire.”
Fourteen buildings were involved after a fire ignited in an electrical generator. The entire business district burnt to the ground in a matter of hours, including a block of businesses, three houses, six barns, a barber shop, a hen house, two apartments and a garage.
“It burned all day,” Percival said. “In order to get the pumper, the Norwich department had to send their tanker on the old O&W railroad. You can imagine how long that took to arrive.”
Meanwhile under Fire Chief Chas Brooks direction, the firemen tried to do what they could. “It was $100,000 loss,” said current volunteer firefighter Bob White. “Today, it would have been a million.”
Today, the Mt. Upton school building stands where the business district was.
When times were tough and the nation was reeling from the aftermath of World War II, like many others, the department saw its share of hard times. During this time, the firemen re-built their own trucks and found other ways to raise funds.
“Money to reconstruct, re-build, update and remodel came from money earned by the fire company and (the women’s) Auxiliary,” said White. “We collected newspapers and re-sold them as well as collected other items to sell at auctions. Many hours were spent trying to raise funds and everything we do is volunteer. There isn’t anything we haven’t been willing to try.”
In the early 50s, the old Rockdale Opera House was bought and transformed into a station in Rockdale. The first emergency squad was built and in 1958, the department celebrated 50 years of service.
As President John F. Kennedy took his oath of office for President, Martin Luther King was beginning his civil rights advocacy efforts and the Beatles were living large on stage, the happenings within the Borden Company continued.
Throughout the 60s, a women’s Auxiliary was formed, the company hosted their first firemen’s convention, a change in administration to a president and vice-president occurred and Borden hosted another convention.
Volunteerism was another aspect that the firefighters say used to be overwhelming at times during the 1970s and 80s, but has declined over the past decade.
“We had so volunteers we had to limit membership to 100,” said White. “We would have 30-40 at each scene,” added Percival. “People do not have the time they used to, many of the young people graduate and leave, sadly there is not a lot to keep them here.”
In the early 1990s, hose company volunteers crossed county lines to help nearby Walton residents who were getting hit hard with major flooding.
As the new millennium began, the members continued to add to both the Mt. Upton and Rockdale stations and the next major crisis they helped residents overcome was the flooding of 2006.
Since the fire in 1925, White, Percival and Schultes say they have not had any fires that range in the same classification as the “great” fire that burned down the village, but seeing various home or structure fires and responding to motor vehicle accidents keep them very busy.
The firemen contract with local towns including Town of Unadilla, East Guilford, Butternuts, Mt. Upton and Guilford. Residents are encouraged to come out Saturday to help the department celebrate 100 years of service and show their support for not only the Borden Hose Company, but for all the departments that span the county.