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Chubby, Rochester’s
most famous equine firefighter lived in the Craft
Company No. 6 firehouse,
then called Engine
Company No. 6, in the early 1900s. Engine companies used horses
to pull steam engines to the scene of the fire during the “Era of the
Horses” from the 1886 to 1921.
 The
firemen took great pride in the horses they worked with and cared for.
They liked to pose with their pal Chubby. In addition to being the most
famous of all the firefighter horses, Chubby was the most beloved. (The
photo to the right shows Chubby with fireman Frank Kalb.)
His milky whiteness and flowing mane and tail made him a dashing figure
with two other chargers drawing the water tower as he raced to the
scene of fire . Fire chief Keating referred to Chubby as “one of the
strongest, most willing and good-natured ever in the fire department.”
 Fire
companies began to switch to motorized engines in the early 1920s and
Chubby was retired in 1926. He spent seven years in retirement at the
Dog Protective Association farm on Scottsville Road. During that period
hundreds of Rochesterians and Monroe County folk made special visits to
see him.
Chubby went to greener pastures in February of 1933 and was buried in
a straw lined grave in the fields where he loved to roam. Deputy Safety
Commissioner, Curtis W. Barker and Fire Chief Maurice Keating attended
Chubby’s burial ceremony. Miss Mary Foubister, secretary of the Dog
Protective Association, commenting on Chubby’s death said, “It is only
fitting that we say goodbye to this great animal. He will be missed by
everyone who ever saw him. As near as our records and those of the city
show, he was 33 years old at least.”
Mr. Baker was commissioner when Chubby as well as several other
horses now dead, were retired in the final group of animals which left
when the fire department was completely motorized.
 Craft
Company No. 6 commissioned local artist/sculptor Vincent
Massaro to create Chubby
and his fireman for a community art project called “Horses
on Parade” sponsored by
High Falls Brewing Company in 2001. Regional artists were commissioned
to paint and embellish 150 fiberglass horses for this project.
 Craft
Company No. 6 purchased Chubby and chose the Arts
andCultural Council and
the Humane Society at Lollypop Farm as
purchase beneficiaries. The sculptures of Chubby and his fireman will be
on permanent display along ARTWalk,
in front of the firehouse where they once performed a vital community
service. Conceived by Rochester residents ARTWalk is
a permanent urban art trail, connecting the arts centers and public
spaces within the Neighborhood of the Arts (NOTA). ARTWalk is an
interactive outdoor museum, located on University Ave. between the Memorial
Art Gallery and
the George
Eastman House.
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