HOWE

Howe Engine Co. (1907-1917)
Indianapolis, Indiana
Howe Fire Apparatus Co. (1917-1976)
Anderson, Indiana
Howe Fire Apparatus Div., Grumman Industries (1976-1983)

This is a Howe hood emblem (1951-c1965)     ms
Size: 322mm wide   MM: Unknown

The Howe Engine Company was founded in 1872 and became one of the most successful independent, family owned and operated fire apparatus manufacturing companies in America.

Howe was among the earliest manufacturers of motor fire apparatus in America and built their first pumper on a motor chassis in 1907. Howe motor fire engines were mainly straight pumping cars without hose beds, which became a growing part of the Howe business. The Howe company was reorganized as the Howe Fire Apparatus Company in 1917 and relocated to Anderson, Indiana.

Howe received orders for motor fire engines, mostly based on Ford Model T chassis, from the US Government for the First World War. After the War and into the 1920's, Howe built most of its popular piston pumpers on Ford Model TT and Reo light-duty truck chassis, but also used other commercial chassis. Howe had a good business with a line of low-budget, small town fire engines, which helped Howe to survive the Great Depression.

 

In the mid-1930's, Howe introduced its medium-duty Howe Defender pumpers, which became very popular. Howe survived a serious fire at their factory in 1936 and were well rewarded with substantial orders for motor fire apparatus for the US Government during the Second World War. Howe motor fire apparatus sales grew significantly during the postwar boom resulting from the demand by town and city fire departments for modern fire apparatus.

Up to the early 1950's, Howe built only commercial chassis pumpers and a few other units to special order. In about 1951, Howe introduced an all new Howe Defender custom pumper built on a heavy-duty conventional chassis. The new Howe Defender had a wide front end with a bull-nosed radiator shell and flat roofed cab, giving a strong, powerful appearance, and became Howe's distinctive product for the next 14 years. 

Howe entered the aerial ladder truck market in the mid-1950's and also built some airport crash trucks. Howe continued to build units using commercial chassis through the 1960's. In 1976, Grumman Corporation bought Howe and continued to make Howe fire apparatus until the name was discontinued in 1983.

Emblems

The majority of Howe pumper units used commercial chassis, so the radiator emblems belong to the chassis builder. 

However, there are examples of Howe fire apparatus where a Howe emblem is also displayed on the vehicle, see 1922 Ford Model T fire truck shown below with the Howe emblem on the front of the dash but I cannot confirm that this was placed here when the unit was built:

Ford Model T fire truck (1922)  proxibid

Close-up showing Howe emblem (1922)

The following restored surviving Ford Model T Howe Model C pumper also from 1922 has a Howe nameplate displayed on the side of the pumper, see below:

Howe Ford pumper showing side nameplate (1922)  hemmings

Howe Ford body side nameplate (1922)  heritagemuseumand gardens

This Howe Ford nameplate has been restored but is likely to be based on the original nameplate, see another early Howe body side nameplate shown below:

Howe fire apparatus body side nameplate (date unknown)  ms

The new Howe Defender from about 1951 was a complete Howe product and carried a Howe radiator emblem. The "Howe" name was also displayed on hood side nameplates and a rear nameplate, see example photos shown below:

Howe Defender showing the hood emblem & hood side nameplate (c1951)   david d jackson

The chrome, metal Howe radiator emblem continued in use for many years, see example shown above at the top of this post and the close up example shown below. This Howe radiator emblem is scarce.

Howe Defender radiator emblem (1950's)  ms

Some Howe Defender models displayed the "Howe" name on a special chrome finished cast hood ornament, see example shown below:

Howe Defender hood ornament (1950's)  tony haas

The following is a well used, black painted metal Howe hood side nameplate. This Howe nameplate is scarce.

This is a Howe hood side nameplate (early 1950's)   mjs
Size: 300mm wide 50mm high   MM: None

The following shows a painted aluminum Howe hood side nameplate, which is also scarce:

This is a Howe hood side nameplate (date uncertain)    ms
Size: 196mm wide 66mm high  MM: None

The following photo shows an example of a Howe rear nameplate:

Rear Howe nameplate (c1951)     david d jackson

The following Howe fire apparatus advertisement also shows the rear nameplate and has a Howe fire apparatus logo:

Howe ad showing logo & rear nameplate (1956) ebay

This Howe logo is seen in the Howe logo plate shown below, which I believe was displayed on some Howe fire apparatus units:

Howe logo plate  ms