Published by Thomas M. Scroggy, Philadelphia, 1850
Seller: R & A Petrilla, Booksellers & Appraisers, Roosevelt, NJ, U.S.A.
First Edition
Condition: Good. First Edition. Nine verses, in part: "We are the Ancient Rams, Who never fear our foes, At the corner of Second and Wharton we stand, And run with the WECCA Hose." Typographic ornamental border. 9" x 6". Sealed in archival mylar. Edges chipped, no text loss. [Wolf, American Song Sheets, 41.] The Rams were a small, independent fire brigade in mid-19th-century Philadelphia. "Ordinances of 1840, 1855, and 1856 established a City Fire Department which was a voluntary association of independent fire companies which, in return for subsidies, accepted the direction of City Councils" (Wikipedia). This song refers to the Philadelphia fire-company riots of the 19th century, which led the City Council to eliminate the volunteer fire-company system.