In 1876, three years before Hastings officially became a village and five weeks after fires destroyed its waterfront, 37 men founded one of the first volunteer fire companies in the region. Its firehouse was built from bricks salvaged from the burnt-out sugar refinery and also became the first village hall. An 1899 fire in the Uniontown neighborhood prompted a second company, and in 1910, when Margaret Sanger's new home in Riverview Manor burned, a third was formed. The companies also served as social organizations.