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Portsmouth

Fire department purchases antique steam engine

The fire department has purchased a fire engine that served the city in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The antique steam engine even has a name, the Kearsarge. It served the city from 1870-1920. The machine was built by Amoskeag Manufacturing Co. in Manchester, N.H. It was found in a barn in Shirley, Mass., several years ago. The city paid $95,000 to purchase the engine and have it restored. The money came from a trust left to the city by Dr. Lloyd M. Horlick, who died in 2009.