Museums in Massachusetts

Because Massachusetts is mostly rural and doesn't have any long ranges where wildfires erupt, they very seldom use firefighting helicopters. Massachusetts fire departments work in a municipal system, usually with one fire department per county, unless there is a large city or population which requires a larger task force. Take Boston, for example. As it would be very difficult to profile each and every one of these fire departments, taking a look at different fire museums in the area is every bit as eye opening.

Brockton Fire Museum

See literally thousands of artifacts stemming from fire fighting both in Brockton and across the country in this beautiful museum. Modeled after a fire station in Victorian times, the building is just as interesting as the information housed inside. Some interesting things housed inside the museum is a hand tub pumper from the 1850s and a memorial dedicated to the 13 firemen killed in a fire at the Strand Theatre in 1941. Since opening in 1992 the Brockton Fire Museum has had visitors from all over the country and more come to visit each season.

New Bedford Fire Museum

With information dating back to 1890 the New Bedford Fire Museum was once a veterans association that dealt exclusively with keeping records of the New Bedford Fire Department. Housed in Old Fire Station No. 4, which was built in 1867, this museum is full of historic treasures that shouldn't be missed. Here you can see several antique fire trucks that have been restored to their former glory, antique records, anecdotes, and so much more. Another interesting aspect of this musuem is that it puts all it's records out for public use and research.

Peabody Historic Fire Museum

This huge building, which was once a fire department is full of historic fire fighting artifacts. In fact, the entire first floor of the museum is dedicated to historic artifacts from the area. This is also the location of lectures both on historical matters and area fire fighting. The beautiful museum is just one of many in the state of Massachusetts dedicated to the history of local firefighters.

Boston Fire Museum

The Boston Fire Museum is dedicated to educating the public about the historic and modern fire fighting in the Greater Boston area. There are photo displays spanning nearly one hundred years along with artifacts that are both historic and more recent. The Boston Fire Department is one of the oldest in the country and both the city and veteran fire fighters are very proud of the illustrious history. Thus, the museum is always well kept and receives new donations of artifacts and information often.