The Michigan Firehouse Museum is located in Ypsilanti's former fire station, which was built in the city's Depot Town neighborhood in 1898 and remained in service until 1975. That year, the city built a new station and sold the old one to a family who lived in the building. In 1998, the old station was purchased by Ann Arborites Howard and Norma Weaver, who then opened the museum that same year. The Michigan Firehouse Museum and Education Center was incorporated as a 501 non-profit organization in 1999. In 2005, it was the only fire museum in the state open year-round as well as the closest one to Metro Detroit. The present museum consists of the former fire station as well as a modern, multilevel addition that together combine for a total of. The addition was built in 2002. The museum is a component of the MotorCities National Heritage Area, which is grant-funding a mortar-restoration project on the original fire station's brick exterior.
Exhibits
The Michigan Firehouse Museum's exhibits focus on fire fighting technology and fire fighting in Michigan. The museum collects firefighting equipment from around the state as well as archival materials. The modern addition to the Michigan Firehouse Museum provides space for 25 changing exhibits on the history of firefighting, which include antique fire trucks, equipment, and tools as well as firefighting memorabilia. The original fire station showcases a horse-drawn steam-powered fire engine. The museum is home to fire trucks from across the state, including those from Battle Creek, Escanaba, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Saline, and Scio Township. Highlights from the truck collection include a 1916 Triple Combination Pumper and a 1917 American LaFranceType 31. By 2005, the museum was home to over 15 fire trucks, and by 2007 its collection had grown to more than 20 trucks. The museum is home to the largest collection of fire truck bells in the United States. It has a total of over 3,600 items on display, including rare fire grenades.
Visitors and events
The museum draws approximately 6,000 visitors annually. Its visitors include numerous schoolchildren, Boy Scouts, and former firefighters, and the museum has welcomed visitors from other fire museums from as far away as Dallas, Texas. Museum director Al Dyer Jr. opines that the museum is underutilized, as it is open to visitors only 16 hours per week. He also would like to develop relationships between the museum and other organizations and institutions in the community, especially Eastern Michigan University. Dyer conceives the museum as a fire safety and education center as well as an event venue for weddings and other events. By 2005, the museum was already hosting birthday parties and wedding receptions. In August 2010, the museum hosted Firetruck Muster, a fire truck show, at Riverside Park in Ypsilanti. In December 2018, the fire station, which is considered haunted by some paranormal investigators, hosted its inaugural Para-Con paranormal convention, featuring multiple panel discussions and a midnight ghost hunt.
