Original Item: Only One Available. Now this was a lovely discovery! This “grogger” was in a mix of WWI wood rattle gas alarm, but after further inspection it was revealed that this was pre turn of the century and was used to sound the alert for fires and used on ships to call the sailors to man battle stations! Local fire watches in camps and city limits that initially were called “prowlers.” These fire wardens soon became known as the “rattle watch” as they carried a wooden rattle noise-making device that was used to sound a loud distinctive rattle to alert citizens to a fire. There is an example almost exactly like this one on the Smithsonian website. 

This type of alarm rattle soon spread to many towns as it was cheap to manufacture and could be made by local carpentry artisans. However, the wood rattle was not specifically created as a fire alarm rattle. The wood rattle dates back to medieval times and further to biblical observances by the Jews. Called a grogger it was defined as “a wooden device that when turned around and around produces a noise like a series of knocks, traditionally used during the Jewish festival of Purim was used by the Jews as a noise maker for celebrations.” Later it was made and used in the American Colonies by folk artisans as a noise-maker or celebration device. They would find a new use in the fledgling American fire service.

According to the Smithsonian Institute, a variation of the rattle was used in the American Civil War and “commonly made of White Oak or similar wood, were used on ships to call all hands to battle stations.” In more recent times it was used during the world wars as a signal for a poison gas attack.

This example is in wonderful working condition with some damage to the gear as shown.
This was truly a wonderful discovery and would be a welcomed addition to any early Firefighting collections and US Civil War collections. Comes more than ready for further research and display!