Kensington’s First Fire Truck Turns 100
A fully restored 1925 Dodge‑Graham Brothers chemical pumper—nearly identical to Kensington’s original fire truck, delivered by Reed Brothers Dodge in August 1925.
One hundred years ago, on August 16, 1925, the Kensington (Maryland) Volunteer Fire Department received its first fire truck from Reed Brothers Dodge at a cost of $5,000, marking a pivotal step forward in the town’s public safety infrastructure. The truck itself wasn’t off-the-shelf—it was built using an innovative system known as the “Truck Builder”, a basic passenger-car platform that allowed customers to custom-design a truck to suit their needs. This approach, pioneered by the Graham Brothers and marketed by the Dodge Brothers, helped revolutionize utility vehicle manufacturing in the 1920s.
From the Kensington Volunteer Fire Department’s history webpage:
1922 was the birth of the Kensington Volunteer Fire Department. With little money, a Dodge truck was purchased from Reed Brothers Dodge in Rockville. A custom fire body was then built and fitted on the truck by Jacobs Brothers in Gaithersburg who ran the Wheelwright Shop on East Diamond Avenue. To raise money, the volunteers held carnivals. The Fire Department incorporated in 1925, and two years later moved into a permanent home in the basement of the National Guard Armory.
This article in the Evening Star, August 16, 1925, describes the fire engine ordered by Kensington.
This milestone reflects not only a key advancement in firefighting capability, but also the essential role of Reed Brothers Dodge, one of the oldest Dodge dealerships in the United States. Founded in 1915 by Lewis Reed, the dealership became a trusted name in Montgomery County for nearly a century.
As we reflect on this centennial anniversary, it’s a testament to how innovation, public service, and family-run enterprise helped shape the heart of small-town America—one custom-built fire truck at a time.
First Kensington VFD Fire Truck Purchased from Reed Brothers Dodge
The first piece of fire apparatus purchased by the Kensington (Maryland) Volunteer Fire Department was a 1925 Dodge-Graham fire engine purchased from Reed Brothers Dodge at a cost of $5,000. It was not a complete truck when purchased, however.
From the Kensington Volunteer Fire Department’s “History” webpage:
1922 was the birth of the Kensington Volunteer Fire Department. With little money, a Dodge truck was purchased from Reed Brothers Dodge in Rockville. A custom fire body was then built and fitted on the truck by Jacobs Brothers in Gaithersburg who ran the Wheelwright Shop on East Diamond Avenue. To raise money, the volunteers held carnivals. The Fire Department incorporated in 1925, and two years later moved into a permanent home in the basement of the National Guard Armory.
The Evening Star, 16 Aug 1925
A bit of Dodge-Graham Brothers history: Dodge trucks actually began with three brothers named Graham. In reality, it is the story of two companies – the Dodge Brothers Company and the Graham Brothers Company. In 1916, seeing the need for a good, dependable truck to serve people, the Graham brothers entered the truck body business. By 1919, they had produced the “Truck-builder,” which is a basic platform from which a customer could spec a truck according to his or her needs. The Truck Builder was essentially a truck conversion that began with a passenger car.
In 1921, Dodge Brothers began to market Graham Brothers medium-duty trucks through its dealerships; in turn, every Graham vehicle utilized a Dodge engine. This partnership provided Dodge dealers with a full line of trucks to sell in addition to the highly regarded Dodge passenger cars, and the resulting sales increases prompted Dodge to buy the Graham Brothers Company.
The Dodge trucks would carry the Graham Brothers nameplate until 1928 with a few of the designs lasting as long as the 1930s.
Pictured below is not the Kensington engine, but a fully restored 1925 Dodge-Graham Brothers Era Chemical Pumper that was probably very similar to the original one that was used.
Fully Restored 1925 Dodge-Graham Brothers Era Chemical Pumper
Kensington VFD Firetruck Truck from Reed Brothers Dodge
This photo was on the Kensington VFD web page. The trucks in front appear to be c. 1920s.
I was doing some online research and stumbled upon the Kensington (Maryland) Volunteer Fire Department’s web page. Their history is quite amazing, actually. Especially when I realized that their first truck was purchased from Reed Brothers Dodge. It was not a complete truck when purchased, however.
From the Kensington Volunteer Fire Department’s “History” webpage:
1922 was the birth of the Kensington Volunteer Fire Department. With little money, a Dodge truck was purchased from Reed Brothers Dodge in Rockville. A custom fire body was then built and fitted on the truck by Jacobs Brothers in Gaithersburg who ran the Wheelwright Shop on East Diamond Avenue. To raise money, the volunteers held carnivals. The Fire Department incorporated in 1925, and two years later moved into a permanent home in the basement of the National Guard Armory.
Photo of a c. 1920 Dodge fire truck
Lewis Reed later became a charter member and President (Feb.1933 – Feb 1937) of the Gaithersburg – Washington Grove Volunteer Fire Department.
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Reed Brothers Dodge History (1915-2012) by Jeanne Gartner is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
Reed Brothers Dodge History 1915 – 2012 
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