Fire buckets were commonly used in the 1800s to prevent or extinguish fires. Constructed of leather with leather-covered rope handles, fire buckets were filled with water or sand and were typically owned in pairs. A large coarse linen bag was rolled up inside each bucket so possessions could be quickly gathered and removed from a burning structure. Isaac Stevens was a leathercrafter by trade. The two fire buckets on the hearth in the Stevens House parlor feature a painting of a small heart and clasped hands underneath the inscription “Semper Fidelis” (always faithful) inside a decorative scroll, along with Isaac’s name and the year 1816.