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.
Early Commercial Trucks on the Job in Rockville
1918 – Lewis Reed in drivers seat of Rockville Garage Dodge Brothers Service Truck. Note the Dodge Brothers six-point emblem on the hood and “Dodge Brothers Service” displayed on the side panel.
After the introduction of mass-produced automobiles, people started to modify their vehicles for enhanced utility. These people stripped off the rear bodywork and mounted open-topped boxes that resembled the first step towards the modern pickup truck. The photos on this post gives a wide variety of vehicles outfitted with the equipment necessary for various trades… Dealership Service Truck, Delivery Truck, and Firetruck.
Horace and John Dodge reluctantly agreed to develop a commercial vehicle in 1917 after their sales associates lobbied for a work truck that could be sold to small businesses that made deliveries of fruit, beer, and other goods. The result was a vehicle based on the first Dodge passenger car. The vehicle eventually became the screen-side Dodge business truck, with a thousand-pound payload, selling for $885.
The photo below of the original Offutt’s General Store shows a 1919 Dodge Screenside delivery truck purchased from Reed Brothers Dodge parked in front. Notice the screens on the side with roll up canvas covers. Commercial users of these units preferred Dodges because they had an all steel body.
Offutt’s General Store, with a 1919 Dodge Screenside delivery truck purchased from Reed Brothers Dodge parked in front. The store later became Hank Dietle’s Tavern on Rockville Pike which was recently destroyed by fire. Photo courtesy of Mary Offutt Stubbs, Edward Offutt’s daughter
In 1919, the Graham Brothers produced the “Truck-Builder” which was a basic platform from which a customer could spec a truck according to their needs. The Truck Builder was essentially a truck conversion that began with a passenger car. The Truck Builder worked this way: The new-car dealer would sell a new car to a customer, then suggest to the buyer that his old car could be converted into a truck.
Original Dodge Truck Build Order
The Dodge Truck Building Order listed the components and equipment that go into an individual truck; engine, transmission, axles, ratios, tires, special equipment, and others. A copy of the order is affixed to the cab or body, engine, and frame during the first steps in the assembly process and accompanies it until the truck is completely assembled.
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.
In the 1920s Reed Brothers sold Dodge Brothers Motor Cars and Graham Brothers Trucks
1922 was the birth of the Kensington (Maryland) Volunteer Fire Department. The following quote was extracted from the KVFD History page.
With little money, the new company went about purchasing apparatus. A Dodge truck was purchased from Reed Brothers in Rockville. A fire body was then put on the truck by Jacobs Brothers in Gaithersburg. 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.
Lewis Reed later became a charter member and President (Feb.1933 – Feb 1937) of the Gaithersburg – Washington Grove Volunteer Fire Department.
This photo was on the Kensington VFD web page. The trucks in front appear to be c. 1920s.
The Dodge trucks would carry the Graham Brothers nameplate until 1928 with a few of the designs lasting as long as the 1930s.
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Copyright Notice
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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