Have you ever seen a fire hose cart that was pulled by men to a fire?  Have you ever seen a horse drawn fire engine?  How about a rubber turn-out coat or a leather fire helmet?   These items were all once a staple of many fire companies located here in Dutchess County, but very few exist today.  Those that do are a rare piece of the history of Fire Fighting here in Dutchess County.

 

Fire Companies were the social center piece of many communities a mere sixty years ago.  The Fire Hall was not just the home of the firefighting equipment but the gathering place for dinners, dances, community meetings and even the sought out bingo games.   Most members will tell you that the reason for this was that in the period of time between 1900 and 1960’s there was very few outside activities, that would soon result in the growing decline in the volunteer membership of the fire service.  Volunteer membership started to decline in the 1970’s as people’s lives got busier.  With the decline of membership came a loss of the history and knowledge of what the fire service of Dutchess County once was.  A loss we need to stop.

    

In January of 2008 a group of four firemen got together to discuss the “old times”.  As we lose another apparatus, firehouse and even a member, another piece of our history is lost.  It was decided we need to make a commitment to establish a means of preserving what pieces of our history we have left and collecting found items of our past to display. Hence, on October 9, 2008, the Firefighter's Museum of Dutchess County was born.

 

Please navigate through the site to learn about our mission, goals, board of Directors and more, and support our endeavors to open the doors of a magnificent, educational place. Feel free to contact us with any questions.

 

Sincerely,

The Board of Directors

Firefighter's Museum of Dutchess County