After a series of bad fires in 1870, Pottstown's Borough Council recognized the need for a local fire company and sent representatives to Philadelphia to buy its first equipment, a hand-drawn pumper apparatus, from Philadelphia Fire Company #18. On January 3, 1871, with the help of local men, Pottstown's first fire company, the Philadelphia Fire Company of Pottstown, was formed. In June 1871, it added a horse-drawn Silsby steam engine apparatus and, at its incorporation on August 21, 1871, became the Philadelphia Steam Fire Engine Company #1, nicknamed the Phillies. Its first firehouse stood on the south side of the 100 block of King Street. On October 5, 1876, members voted to buy the lot at 240 Chestnut Street where the firehouse still stands. Construction began on September 6, 1878, with all work done by company members: T.L. Yergey directed the masonry and brickwork, and Frank Fegley supervised building supplies and furnished the materials. The building cost about $13,000.00, and its dedication ceremony was held on June 12, 1880. The firehouse has had only two renovations, one in the 1930's to enlarge the doors for bigger equipment and another in the 1940's to move the social quarters from the basement to the second floor, replacing the parlor used for meetings. The Phillies have long supported Pottstown's residents and the wider community by volunteering many hours beyond the regular duties of a volunteer fire company, a tradition that has continued through the efforts of its dedicated volunteers.