Fireman's Hall Museum of Philadelphia

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Philadelphia is often regarded as the birthplace of America, and it has a rich firefighting history dating back to the first volunteer fire company started by Benjamin Franklin.  The Fireman's Hall Museum in Philadelphia's Old City district chronicles the vivid history of one of the nation's oldest fire departments.

The museum is housed in a building constructed in 1876 that was a Philadelphia Fire Department fire station from 1902 through 1952.  The two-story edifice houses an impressive collection of antique fire apparatus, uniforms, badges, firefighting tools, photographs and fire marks.

Fireman's Hall Museum Apparatus Display

Describing some of the jewels of the museum's apparatus collection, which is housed on the first floor of the building, Museum Curator Harry Magee explains, " We have an old '26 American La France.  We have a couple of steamers, one of them being an 1857 Reanie & Neafie fire engine, which is the oldest steam engine in the United States.  We also have a unique water cannon that was designed by a Philadelphia Fire Captain.  The piece of equipment itself was built by Philadelphia Fire Department shops.  They were used for very large fires and worked with a special water system in the city called the High Pressure Water System."  The oldest artifact in the collection is a 1730 Richard Newsham Hand Engine, which was most likely used by Benjamin Franklin.

Fallen Firefighter Memorial

The latest addition to the museum is a memorial wall honoring Philadelphia's fallen firefighters.  According to Magee, there are 286 names of career Philadelphia firefighters and 75 volunteer firefighters laser etched into the tiles that make up the wall.  The museum also has a display honoring the memory of the 343 FDNY firefighters who perished in the World Trade Center attacks.

Children's Fire Safety Display

The Fireman's Hall Musuem also features a fire safety education display for children.  Magee explains, "There's a play area for the children, an educational area with cartoon panels that feature fire safety practices, as well as a 911 exhibit which teaches children the proper use of the 911 system."

Operations Information

The museum is open throughout the year on Tuesday through Saturday.  It is owned by the City of Philadelphia, staffed by Philadelphia firefighters, and supported by the Philadelphia Fire Department Historical Corporation.  Admission is free, although donations are accepted, and the project is partially funded by the museum's gift shop and online store.  For more information visit www.firemanshall.org.

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