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Founded in 1690 in London, England, Merryweather & Sons manufactured fire pumps and apparatus. Their first fire engine factory was built in 1738, producing hand engines, leather fire hoses, and, later, steam fire engines.
This particular pumper, known as the “Paxton,” was introduced in 1851. It required at least 22 men to work the cross handles and pump water onto a fire. Once the apparatus was supplied with water by bucket, it could deliver 100 gallons of water per minute to a height of 120 feet. This engine was used in Yoxford, a small village in East Suffolk, England. Because of their size and reasonable prices, the Paxton pumpers were popular with local factories, estates, and parishes in England.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway purchased this pumper at an auction in September 1965. This apparatus joined the collection at the Koorsen Museum in March 2017.
