The Great Fire of 1845

Hook & Irons reached out to me and wanted a design that was centered around a fire/firefighting event from NYC's past. I chose to the The Great Fire of 1845 which was the last "great fire" in NYC. For the design I made the whale the island of Manhattan with the East River and North River (Hudson River was the North River back then).

The fire started in lower Manhattan which you see is the mouth of the beast and it began at a whale oil factory which is where the whale comes into the design. The tough part was finding that story that wasn't a total devastating event which most fires are. Some good did come of this fire with the changing of building codes and who buildings were constructed, it also called for a need for a stronger and more organized fire fighting system, and lastly it created the Exempt Fireman's Company which was a reserve unit which brought guys in by offering them exemption from military and jury duty.

Shirt can be purchased here: The Last Great Fire