‘Smoke Eater' black firefighter became community hero in Scranton
SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — An ambitious young firefighter became a community hero in Scranton in the 19th century. Lincoln Sherman Tillman was the first black firefighter to receive a pension in the city of Scranton.
Lincoln paved the path for other men of color to join the department with him down the road.
'They used to call him 'The Smoke Eater' because he wasn't afraid to really go into these fires, full body, and just go after it,' said Black Scranton Project Founder and CEO Glynis Johns.
Lincoln, or 'Link,' first started fighting fires when he was just 16 years old.
'He started out as a teenager in a volunteer firefighting company here in the City of Scranton called 'Union Hook & Ladder,'' Johns explained.
The fire company was a branch of the Scranton Fire Department organized by a group of black men in 1874.
It began with 25 members at a station on Lower Lackawanna Avenue.
According to an article in The Scranton Tribune in March of 1937, Lincoln recalled the start of his career, detailing there were only three other black families in the City of Scranton in the 1870s.
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The men came together to form Union Hook & Ladder to battle fires on high buildings alongside nearby companies.
'It's a truck apparatus that has a series of hooks and ladders on it so that way you can get to the second, third, and fourth floor of buildings,' Johns continued.
Over the years, Lincoln responded to some of the city's largest fires.
His dedication to the field did not go unnoticed.
'By the year 1900, he was a pension firefighter, and from there he had a 30-year career in the City of Scranton fighting fires, people called him a hero. He saved people's cats, he saved people's grandmothers. He's literally carried, like, women and children out of burning buildings, always did it with a smile. He loved his job,' Johns explained.
Lincoln's legacy was brought to life again by Johns who started a collection of historical findings on prominent black figures in Scranton in 2019.
'At the end of the day, he was a teenager and he just did it because he wanted to help, he wanted to be helping people at some of the most vulnerable and scariest times in your life,' Johns added.
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In that 1937 interview, Lincoln noted he was born to walk the path of a firefighter.
His father was a volunteer firefighter and the family trade continued on through Link's nephew.
'I said 'I don't go to fires anymore.' Link chuckled. 'I leave that to my nephew, Bert Tillman.' He's with Engine Company Number 4. I guess I got all the fires I wanted in for a lifetime,' Johns said.
Bert Tillman joined the Scranton Fire Department in 1917 working alongside his uncle at Engine No. 1 on Franklin Avenue.
According to multiple archived newspaper articles, the Tillman's ancestors were slaves on a Virginia plantation who navigated to Scranton in the Underground Railroad in the 1800s.
Bert moved to the ranks, becoming of Engineer driving Engine 1, and manning the pumps at fires before his retirement in 1955 after 42 years of service.
Today, you can see his uniform dress coat displayed at the Anthracite Heritage Museum.
Johns also has a collection of patches and buttons donated to her.
'I really appreciate the Scranton Fire Department for donating these patches for our archives,' Johns stated.
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Thomas Hogans Junior brought his artistic talents to the department in 1965 as a paid firefighter.
Hogans designed the patch worn by members of Firefighters Local 669 on their uniforms.
His design is still used today by Local 60. The original layout is unchanged.
All three men had indelible legacies. Not just as firefighters, but also as community leaders and activists.
'A lot of African-American men in Scranton were really active in city politics,' Johns said.
Lincoln Tillman died in 1941 of old age.
'He didn't really have that many health issues, and he was remembered greatly. I hope that he one day gets the recognition as a hero that he deserves,' Johns stated.
The public is invited to check out the Black Scranton Project's collection on Lincoln Tillman.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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