Firefighters' Museum to the Rescue!
The Firefighters’ Hall and Museum features over 12,000 square feet of historic items from Minnesota fire departments dating back to the 1860’s. There are fire trucks, fire equipment, historic photos, and interactive displays for children. During the summer months you can even ride on a real fire truck!
The Museum contains a variety of vehicles, equipment, literature, photographs related to firefighting and firefighters, and a real fire pole to slide on! Some of the permanent displays include an 1894 steam fire engine, a 1919 American LaFrance ladder truck from Mankato, and a 1932 FWD pumper built by the Minneapolis Fire Department shop. There is also an established and rotating display of area fire collector vehicles. Some are built for the youngest visitors - kids learn about fire safety and can pretend to be a real firefighter.
They also have a great event hall that can accommodate up to 115 people. Great for a child’s birthday, but use your imagination for other kinds of gatherings! Give the family a mystery address to show up to, and everyone has a ball! They schedule a 2 ½ hour time block for birthday parties in the meeting hall - on Saturdays, they schedule one birthday party at 10am, and another other at 1pm. After your group arrives, they start off with a fire safety demonstration (10 min), then a tour of the museum, which includes some history of firefighting. The kids do a bucket brigade, slide a fire pole, pull a fire alarm etc. as part of that tour. In the summer the kids get to pump water into a simulated apartment building façade outside. They also provide a fire truck ride for everybody in the party (April through October, weather permitting). It is a catered or bring-your-own food set up, with a refrigerator, small freezer, microwave, and stand-up food warmer. $100 rental for the first 20 guests; $3 each additional person (under 3 is free).
The Firefighter’s Hall and Museum is open Saturdays 9-4. Weekday group tours (minimum of 20, maximum of 50) and hall rentals are available by appointment. 612-623-3817
The Museum is dedicated to the memory of the late Captain Wilton Daniels of the Minneapolis Fire Department and his wife Bonnie who, through a generous bequest, made this hall possible for the use and enjoyment of active and retired Minneapolis firefighters, and the public museum dedicated to the education and enjoyment of visitors of all ages. There is an extensive research library containing information on former Minneapolis and St. Paul firefighters and other historical items dating back to the 1860′s, as well as an extensive collection of firefighting literature. www.firehallmuseum.org