Hampton firefighters are again in possession of a 1923 Reo pumper, Hampton's first motorized fire truck. [RCN photo/Dan Hackett]

Hampton firefighters have reclaimed a piece of town history. It's 18 feet long and red.

The truck will make its debut during the Hampton Christmas parade.

Until then, the truck will he kept at the in-town fire station, dwarfed between two modern day trucks.

Getting the truck has been a labor of love for Russell "Rusty" Bridle and Chris Silver, two Hampton firefighters with a passion for firefighting history.

Silver and his wife, Cheryl, were driving around Franklin when they sighted the truck. it had been stored in a garage for more than 20 years. The paint was dust-covered. The back was full with Junk. A family of mice had fashioned a nest in a rear compartment.

Nearly every month, silver talked with the owner, Roland Mercier, who is now a U.S. Marshal working In Austin, Texas. When Mercier's father, who was a seasoned fireman, died recently, his passing seemed to prompt Mercier to give the truck to Hampton -- with the understanding that it would never be sold or dis mantled.

Perish the thought, say the two firefighters who worked so hard to get it in the first place. The Historical Society is thinking about building an addition to the Tuck Museum for the truck, Bridle said.

The firefighters association, which now owns the truck, is looking for any old photographs of the truck, or any information about it. Call 926-3316 with any tips.

[Footnote: The 1923 REO LADDER FIRE TRUCK was purchased from the Thomson Reo Company in 1924 for $2,757.37 as per Town Report for year ending January 31, 1925. In 1925, equipment for the REO was purchased at a cost of $27.10.]

SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW -- Hampton's fire department reacquired it's first motorized fire engine, a 1923 Reo Pumper last week, just as it receive it's newest engine, a Rescue truck. [Atlantic News Photo by Tim Turcotte -- October 31, 1996]