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St. Louis Fire Department Museum
DESCRIPTION: The St. Louis Fire Department Museum contains a collection of historic firefighting equipment and memorabilia.
ADDRESS: 1421 N. Jefferson Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63106
LOCATION: Northwest of downtown St. Louis
PHONE NUMBER: 314-289-1933
GETTING THERE: From downtown, take Market Street west to Jefferson. Turn right on Jefferson and follow it to 1421 North Jefferson. The Museum will be on your left.
HOURS: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Tour groups are seen by appointment only. You may contact Bob Pauly, the Museum Curator for reservations at 314-289-1933.
ADMISSION: Free
HIGHLIGHTS: The St. Louis Fire Department Museum houses several interesting exhibits including:
- A collection of fire-related items such as fire helmets and glass hand grenade fire extinguishers.
- A collection of toy fire trucks.
- Photos of some of St. Louis’ most famous fires and a reproduction of a Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph of a St. Louis fireman carrying a lifeless young child as he begins to administer artificial respiration to her after pulling her from a burning house.
- A life-sized statue hand carved in Italy of Florian, commander of the Roman Army and patron saint of firefighters.
- A fire alarm box that used to be common on the city’s streets and the dispatching system used by the department well into the last century.
WHAT'S COOL: A collection of more than 700 artifacts of the late Morton T. Werner, a local insurance agent who spent years collecting fire memorabilia, is on permanent loan to the Museum from the Missouri Historical Society. The collection includes fire plates, leather water buckets and other items. The display also includes an extensive collection of fire marks, emblems or plaques issued by early insurance companies to affix to insured buildings, from around the world and dating back to the 1700's.
HISTORY: In 1989 when the St. Louis Fire Department moved to its current headquarters on Jefferson Avenue, a separate room was dedicated to housing items from the department's collection of historical firefighting paraphernalia. Displays now spill into the corridors of the building as the collection has grown to the point where it all cannot be housed there. Fire Department officials are hopeful that in the future the Museum will have its own building with outdoor space to display the Department's collection of old fire trucks.
HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBILITY: Fully accessible
WHERE TO GET LUNCH: There are several restaurants in Union Station on Market Street about a mile away.
WHAT'S NEARBY: The Scott Joplin Historic Home and the Black World History Museum are nearby.
PUBLIC RELATIONS CONTACT: Bob Pauly, Museum Curator, 314-289-1933, stlfd@stlouis.missouri.org
Readers should call 1-800-916-0040 to request a free copy of the Official St. Louis Visitor Guide or point, click and explore St. Louis at www.explorestlouis.com
