In the early days of Zanesville, the citizens were called upon to battle fires. Whenever a blaze broke out men and women would grab leather buckets and rush to the river to form a bucket brigade. Zanesville’s first serious fire destroyed the two-story log jail building, which stood on the site of the present-day Muskingum County Courthouse. On April 3, 1813, a fugitive slave was captured and put into the jail to await the arrival of his master. In an effort to escape, the slave attempted to burn the lock off the door. Eventually, he completely burned down the jail and a nearby building caught fire.
This incident frightened the citizens so much that on Dec. 23, 1819, 40 prominent men organized the town’s first volunteer fire department. The Union Fire Engine Company had its headquarters at the southeast corner of Fourth Street and Fountain Alley. Fifteen men operated the engine, while the other 25 continued to form an old-fashioned bucket brigade.