Roll of Honor
Incident
Police Officer Hiram Hammer was killed during the collapse of a four-storied brick building on North Third Street between Callowhill Street and Wood Street.
He was attempting to rescue people trapped on the third floor when a wall above them on the fourth floor collapsed through the roof, carrying each floor to the cellar. As a result of the collapse Officer Hammer became pinned and trapped by the debris.
Police Officer Jacob Albright and another officer were attempting to pull him to safety when they were caught in a second collapse of the building, killing Officer Hammer. Officer Albright became trapped when a burning piece of timber fell on him, crushing and burning both of his legs. The other officers assisting Officer Hammer escaped serious injury. Officer Hammer's body was discovered the next morning and was identified by his police badge.
After two hours of trying to free Officer Albright, he was taken to his home where he was treated for his injuries. He succumbed to his injuries four days later at his home.
Officer Hammer served with the Northern Liberties Division and was survived by his wife and six children.
Survivors
Officer Hammer served with the Northern Liberties Division and was survived by his wife and six children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-PA-AEA3D9DA- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
173 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Police Officer Hammer served with the Philadelphia Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Philadelphia community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Hiram Hammer is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In PA, 417 of 1,261 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.1% of this state's fallen. That is 2.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Philadelphia Police Department, 110 of 378 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 29.1% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Hiram Hammer's cause is highlighted.
How Hiram Hammer Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Hiram Hammer is highlighted in Dec.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
377 officers from Philadelphia Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
