Line of Duty Death Memorial

Memorial to Those We Lost in the Line of Duty 

  • Samuel Barber: Born 1832 in England - Death March 27th, 1861 Newport, KY - Under the Washington Fire Engine and Hose Company 1
    • On March 27th, 1861, Samuel Barber became the first firefighter killed in the line of duty in Northern Kentucky by being struck in the back of the head by a piece of the roof from the Art Palace, which was wrecked by a storm. 
    • On March 29th, members of the Washington Fire Engine and Hose Company, accompanied by the Garrison Band, formed a procession from the Barber residence, passing the engine house en route to the Newport Cemetery. The Newport Cemetery Company had established this burial ground in 1848 in what was then a rural area south of Newport, now within the city limits of Southgate. Originally known as the Newport Cemetery, it was later renamed Evergreen Cemetery. It is here that Samuel Barber was laid to rest.
    • At the age of thirty, he left behind his wife, Emma, and their three young children: Julia, aged six; Elizabeth, aged one; and Samuel, an infant only recently born.
  • Lee H. Howe: Born 1876 in Newport, KY - Death February 22nd, 1904 in Dayton, KY
    • Lee Howe
    • On February 19th, 1904, firefighter Lee Howe was thrown from a fire wagon after it was struck by a streetcar at Fourth and Washington streets.  The fire wagon was responding to a report of a fire at Fourth and Berry streets which turned out to be soot burning in the chimney.  Lee 27, later died from the injuries he sustained from the accident at Speers Hospital in neighboring Dayton Kentucky.
    • Howe had not known an easy life. Having lost both his mother and father while still in his twenties, the responsibility of caring for his family fell upon his shoulders. He took charge of his two sisters, Florence and Shirley, and his three brothers, Albert, William, and John, in the home their father had built at 327 East Fourth Street.

    • Despite the burdens he bore, Howe was remembered for his cheerful disposition and ready smile. He was known to call out across the street to greet an acquaintance, never failing to offer a friendly word or a wave in passing. Ever devoted to his family, Howe turned over his entire salary to his sister Florence, entrusting her with the care of the household and the younger children.

  • Benjamin C. Graham: Born May 6th, 1871 in Portsmouth, Scioto, Ohio - Death February 21st, 1919 in Newport, KY
    • Ben GrahamOn February 21st, 1919, Captain Benjamin Graham of Newport Hose Company #4 died of pneumonia as the result of a cold which he received while fighting a fire on February 18th. Graham had been in poor health since falling off a ladder and breaking his leg in May 1918. He passed away in his home at 31 East Fourth Street.
    • Graham, the son of river captain Joeseph Graham, made his name as an underwater diver. He was used by the police to search for drowning victims or weapons and property used in crimes. He joined the fire department in 1899 and rose to the rank of Captain. Graham was a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Odd Fellows. Graham was survived by his father, two sisters, and two brothers. At age 47 was considered a popular fireman and a fearless Ohio diver.