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NOTE: The Valparaiso Fire Museum is permanently closed.
The Valparaiso Fire Museum is a great place to learn about the history of firefighting. It’s outside the downtown area but worth a visit.
Visiting
The Valparaiso Fire Museum is open Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm. It’s located at the lobby of Task Force Tips. Admission is free.
Exhibits
The Valparaiso Fire Museum displays artifacts dating back to firefighting in the 1700s as well as historic fire wagons. Among the vehicles in the collection are a 1923 Seagrave Engine from the Valparaiso Fire Department; an 1890 Silsby Steam Engine from Cliftonville, Wisconsin; and an 1883 Piano Style Engine from Westville, Indiana.
Other displays include historic items such as firefighting uniforms, tools, breathing apparatuses, and personal protective equipment. There’s also a display chronicling the history of fire service in Valparaiso.
One of the items that caught my eye were an original fire mark from the Insurance Company of North America. Founded in 1792, the Insurance Company of North America were the third company to offer fire insurance in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. By 1794, it was optional for policyholders to purchase a fire mark. These marks were used as a guide for the company’s private firefighting brigades in the days before municipal fire services were formed.
Other items of interest were historic helmets hanging from the staircase. They included an English Cromwell country-style F135 London Fire Brigade helmet; a Napoleonic wargamer ceremonial French dragoon and 7th cuirassier calvary helmet; and a Soviet firefighter’s helmet from the 1980s.
