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 Updated: 2/18/2011 
Aurora Regional Fire Museum
Aurora, Illinois
Description

The Aurora Regional Fire Museum is located in Aurora's old Central Fire Station. The museum is open to the public regular hours, and features a variety of interactive exhibits designed to educate and entertain children, families, and firefighters.

The museum's primary exhibit, "Getting There, Getting Water, Getting Rescued" traces the evolution of the tools and technology used by firefighters. Visitors can pass a leather fire bucket from the early 1800s. See the horse stalls and the "real" fire horses. Discover what was found under the floor boards of the old central fire station. Marvel at the strange looking Vajen-Bader smoke mask. See and hear how modern fire apparatus clears the streets with sirens, air horns, and devices that change traffic lights green. Watch vintage film clips of firefighters and fire engines on one of five video touch-screens. All this in addition to five pieces of fire apparatus on display in a fully restored 1894 fire station.

Mission

The Aurora Regional Fire Museum is a nonprofit, tax exempt educational institution whose purpose is to preserve Aurora's old Central Fire Station for use as a museum. The Aurora Regional Fire Museum will preserve and exhibit the artifacts and history of Aurora and surrounding area fire departments, as well as teach and promote fire safety and prevention.

History

In September 1966, the Aurora Fire Chief Erwin J. Bauman authorized the establishment of a fire museum in order to collect and preserve Aurora's fire fighting history. Opened in October of 1968, the museum was housed in the basement of Fire Station 4.

By 1980, the apparatus and men had outgrown the old Central Fire Station. A new fire headquarters was built on North Broadway adjacent to the old station. The old Central Station faithfully served the fire department for eighty-six years. and there was much publicity in the newspapers about its fate. After sitting vacant for seven years, a group was organized to save the old station and transform it into a museum. The Aurora Regional Fire Museum was born.

Artifact Collections

What would a fire museum be without fire trucks! The Aurora Regional Fire Museum has nine pieces of fire apparatus in our collection dating from an 1850s hand pumper to a 1960s aerial ladder truck.
The backbone of the Aurora Regional Fire Museum is our strong collection of over one thousand artifacts, two thousand photographs, and countless volumes of historical information. Much of this collection is available to researchers by appointment.

We actively accept donations of fire memorabilia, photographs, books, newspaper clippings, and other historical materials. Please read our collections policy and then e-mail our Curator David Lewis for more information.

Programs

Group tours and a variety of educational programs are offerd. Please visit our website for more specific information.

Library

Access: General Public, Students, Scholars

Appointment required: True

Street Address
53 N. Broadway
Aurora, IL 60505
Mailing Address
PO Box 1782
Aurora, IL 60507
phone: 630-892-1572
fax: 630-897-4147
e-mail: ARFMinfo@aol.com
home page: www.auroraregionalfiremuseum.org
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Hours of Operation
Thursday - Saturday1 PM - 4 PM

All groups are requested to schedule visits by appointment. Other hours, guided tours, and educational programs are available for groups of ten or more.

Admission
Museum Type(s)
History
Specialized
Staff
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MUSEUM CONFERENCES

Virginia Association of Museum's 2025 Annual Conference!

March 15 - 18, 2025

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Virginia Association of Museum's 2025 Annual Conference!

Saturday, March 15 - Tuesday, March 18, 2025

The Inn at Virginia Tech

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Hosted by: Virginia Association of Museums

2025 Conference Theme: Looking Back to the Future For the past several years, many museums have been deeply involved in planning programs and events to observe the 250th birthday of the United States of America. While this is certainly an occasion to celebrate, this anniversary also forces us as a society to reckon with ongoing inequities and challenges within the US that go back to its inception. As museums ask their audiences to look to the past to understand the present and shape a better future, perhaps now is a good moment in time for Virginia’s museum community to take pause and look back at its own history. We are excited to see you in Blacksburg in March 2025 as we take a moment in our hectic schedules to take pause and visit our diverse pasts. Let’s uncover and share our histories to build a more resilient Virginia museum community.

Ohio Museum Asociation 2025 Annual Conference - Athens

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Saturday, March 29 - Monday, March 31, 2025

TBA

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Hosted by: Ohio Museums Association

"Innovation: Museums and Reaching our Potential

The heart of innovation is transformation – shaking up our established way of doing things by introducing new methods, new ideas, and new approaches to both obstacles and opportunities

Museums across Ohio are not just adapting, but innovating to reach their full potential and better serve their communities. No matter their role, museum professionals are introducing forward-thinking perspectives and initiating creative solutions to launch the field into a future where museums can remain trusted and relevant community cornerstones

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Join us in Athens, March 29-31 as we explore these topics and more at the 2025 Ohio Museums Association’s Annual Conference: Innovation: Museums and Reaching our Potential.

For more information, please email oma@ohiohistory.org.

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Sunday, March 30 - Monday, March 31, 2025

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By facilitating discussions, workshops, and networking opportunities, the conference will empower current and future museum professionals and to expand their impact, embrace new challenges, and create meaningful connections with their audiences and communities.

Arkansas Museums Association 2025 Conference

March 31 - April 3, 2025

Washington, Arkansas

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Monday, March 31 - Thursday, April 3, 2025

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"From the Ground Up: Cultivating Essential Skills in Museums

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For more information, please email arkansasmuseums@gmail.com.

New York Museum Association 2025 Conference in Ithaca, NY

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Saturday, April 5 - Tuesday, April 8, 2025

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MANY’s annual conference helps museum professionals build a network to share perspectives, tools, and skills that develop excellence across the field. Our goal is to nurture a community of practice, advance institutional change, and create an inclusive and expansive New York team of collaborators who learn together.

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