400 Walnut at Mulberry
Beaumont, TX 77701
PO Box 3827
Beaumont, TX 77704
Free admission/ donations accepted
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Susan Lanning
phone: 409-880-3927
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The Fire Museum of Texas is housed in the 1927 Central Fire Station Headquarters. The mission of the museum is to educate the public about fire safety and the history of the fire service. In addition to guided tours the museum also offers a fire safety summer camp program, fire safety birthday parties, and a unique 3 day fire safety event for 2,000
school children in Ocotober in cooperation with Dupont. We are also working on our 5th annual Flamin' Hot Car Show, which is one of our main fundraisers. We are currently working on a fundraising project to create a firefighter memorial plaza with our 24 ft. fire hydrant as the centerpiece. As of right now the fundraising phase should be completed by December with the entire project scheduled for completion by June of 2002 which is when we will be hosting the State Fireman & Fire Marshal Association's annual
convention which attracts over 1500 people. (Perfect timing for a grand opening for the plaza)
The Fire Museum of Texas has been open to the public since 1984 and attracts between 15,000 - 20,000 visitors annually. Since its opening the museum has worked to expand its collection and created a fire safety activity center for children which is a hands-on, interactive exhibit that teaches children all about fire safety. It also includes a child-sized 2 story fire safety house for practice fire drills. The museum is endorsed by the State Firemen & Fire Marshals' Association as the official state fire museum of texas.
Our oldest piece of equipment is a hand-drawn tub pumper from 1856. Currently, we have a total of 11 fire engines. One of the most unique on display is the Light Truck that was originally built in 1931 and all but the front cab is still original. It was the first of its kind
built and went to two major disasters, including the New London School explosion and the Texas City Disaster. The museum also has a collection of firefighter gear, gamewell callbox system, telegraph switchboard, over 2,000 patches, and many more firefighter memorabilia, tools, fire extinguishers, and equipment.
Our current research areas include the history of the
beaumont fire department, general history of the fire service, and fire
Guided tours are offered for any group of ten or more who make a reservation in advance. This summer the museum started its first fire safety summer camp program. We also work with
Dupont in creating a 3 day fire safety program for schools during fire prevention week. this will be our second year and the feedback from last year has been wonderful. Different schools are invited each year and currently there is a waiting list for this program that lasts 2 1/2 hours
for each session. The museum also does a lot of outreach programming and does fire safety programs and sets up a display at area health fairs, festivals, and other safety day events.
The Fire Museum has an annual report and is starting its first newsletter in the fall of 2001 which will thereafter be issues twice a year.
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