Mural on Firehouse in Inman Square

If you’re walking down Cambridge Street on your way to Inman Square, you’ll notice a mural painted on the side of the fire station.  Have you ever wondered why two of the firefighters look remarkably like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin?  It’s not because those two founding fathers were firemen in Cambridge but rather because the mural was painted in 1976 by Ellary Eddy to celebrate the nation’s Bicentennial.

The artwork features current Cambridge firefighters (at the time of the painting) along with Washington and Franklin, who served as volunteer firemen in their spare time.  The classic Dalmatian fire dog, Buff, is also included. The apparatus shown is the 1960 Pirsch 1,000 gallons per minute pump which was Engine 5’s pump at the time.  Lt. John O’Leary, who retired in January 2011, is the last active Cambridge firefighter to be depicted in the mural.  For more information on Ellary Eddy and images of the restoration project, click here.

Depicted in the mural artwork from L-R: Francis Dudley, George Washington, Buff the Fire Dog, Robert Carroll, Arthur “Buddy” Largenton, William Rose, Arthur Souza, James Nagle, Walter Ellis, Tom Sullivan, John O’Leary, Benjamin Franklin, Maitland “Mickey” LaRose, Ronald Ring, Francis Oliver, Francis Bransfield, and Donald McElearney.