Compared to other towns like Canton, Allen Park was founded more recently in 1927 and didn’t incorporate until 1957. In the early days they had an all-volunteer fire department that pledged to fight the frequent grass fires that periodically rampage through the high prairie. It wasn’t until their second fire captain took over that the annual budget increased to $1,000 from $500. The men got paid $1 a year so they could collect workman’s comp insurance in the event of an injury.
