Michigan Firehouse Museum

The Michigan Firehouse Museum and Education Center is a fire museum dedicated to the history of firefighting in the U.S. state of Michigan.[1][2] It is located at 110 West Cross Street in Ypsilanti, Michigan.[2][3][4]

Michigan Firehouse Museum and Education Center
Exterior of the 1898 fire station
Location within Michigan
Established1998
Location110 West Cross Street,
Ypsilanti, Michigan, US
Coordinates42°14′46″N 83°36′51″W
TypeFire museum
Visitors6,000 (annually)
Websitewww.michiganfirehousemuseum.org

History

The Michigan Firehouse Museum is located in Ypsilanti's former fire station, which was built in the city's Depot Town neighborhood in 1898 and remained in service until 1975.[2][5][6] That year, the city built a new station and sold the old one to a family who lived in the building.[5][6] In 1998, the old station was purchased by Ann Arborites Howard and Norma Weaver, who then opened the museum that same year.[5][6][7]

The Michigan Firehouse Museum and Education Center was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 1999.[1] In 2005, it was the only fire museum in the state open year-round as well as the closest one to Metro Detroit.[8]

The present museum consists of the former fire station as well as a modern, multilevel addition that together combine for a total of 26,000 square feet (2,400 m2).[1][4] The addition was built in 2002.[1][5]

The museum is a component of the MotorCities National Heritage Area,[1] which is grant-funding a mortar-restoration project on the original fire station's brick exterior.[9]

Exhibits
Exterior of the 2002 addition

The Michigan Firehouse Museum's exhibits focus on fire fighting technology and fire fighting in Michigan. The museum collects firefighting equipment from around the state as well as archival materials.[1][2] The modern addition to the Michigan Firehouse Museum provides space for 25 changing exhibits on the history of firefighting, which include antique fire trucks, equipment, and tools as well as firefighting memorabilia. The original fire station showcases a horse-drawn steam-powered fire engine.[4]

The museum is home to fire trucks from across the state, including those from Battle Creek, Escanaba, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Saline, and Scio Township.[6] Highlights from the truck collection include a 1916 Triple Combination Pumper and a 1917 American LaFrance Type 31.[6][10] By 2005, the museum was home to over 15 fire trucks,[8] and by 2007 its collection had grown to more than 20 trucks.[7]

The museum is home to the largest collection of fire truck bells in the United States.[3] It has a total of over 3,600 items on display, including rare fire grenades.[6]

Visitors and events

The museum draws approximately 6,000 visitors annually.[6] Its visitors include numerous schoolchildren, Boy Scouts, and former firefighters, and the museum has welcomed visitors from other fire museums from as far away as Dallas, Texas.[5]

In 2018, then-museum director Al Dyer Jr. opined that the museum was underutilized, as it was open to visitors only 16 hours per week. He also voiced his desire to develop relationships between the museum and other organizations and institutions in the community, especially Eastern Michigan University. Dyer conceived the museum as a fire safety and education center as well as an event venue for weddings and other events.[5] By 2005, the museum was already hosting birthday parties and wedding receptions.[8]

In August 2010, the museum hosted Firetruck Muster, a fire truck show, at Riverside Park in Ypsilanti.[11] In December 2018, the fire station, which is considered haunted by some paranormal investigators, hosted its inaugural Para-Con paranormal convention, featuring multiple panel discussions and a midnight ghost hunt.[5][12]

References
  1. "Institutional Profile". Michigan Firehouse Museum. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  2. "Michigan Firehouse Museum". Pure Michigan. Michigan Economic Development Corporation. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  3. "20 of Michigan's most unusual museums". Detroit Free Press. March 28, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  4. "Michigan Firehouse Museum". Ypsi Real. Destination Ann Arbor. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  5. Rigg, Sarah (November 14, 2018). "Ypsi's Michigan Firehouse Museum aims to build profile as it celebrates its 20th anniversary". Concentrate. Issue Media Group. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  6. Avellan, Jorge (March 29, 2018). "Michigan Firehouse Museum In Ypsilanti Celebrates 20th Anniversary". WEMU. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  7. Thurtell, Joel (October 14, 2007). "Plymouth retiree manages firehouse museum". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved September 30, 2019 – via Newspapers.com .
  8. Creager, Ellen (October 30, 2005). "Michigan's a hotbed of firehouse history: Ypsilanti museum has a century of firefighting artifacts". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved September 30, 2019 – via Newspapers.com .
  9. "Historic Building". Michigan Firehouse Museum. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  10. "Museum Highlights". Michigan Firehouse Museum. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  11. Battaglia, Tammy Stables (August 20, 2010). "Father, Son and Fire Truck". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved September 30, 2019 – via Newspapers.com .
  12. DeVito, Lee (December 3, 2018). "Thanks to ghost hunters, the Michigan Firehouse Museum to host its first-ever Para-Con". Metro Times. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
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