Fire Museum - A Brief History
The idea for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fire Museum and Education Center was originally established in January of 1969. It took multiple attempts and a couple different possible locations to finally bring the museum into existence in June of 2002. The museum remained open until April 30th, 2009, when the museum was closed down due to the property owner raising the rent and pursuing commercial occupancies. The board of directors continued to exist and didn't rule out re-opening the museum in the future if the possibility arose. Today, the museum only exists virtually with hopes of re-establishing a physical location for our supporters to visit and enjoy.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fire Museum and Education Center has three objectives:
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To engage in fire safety and fire prevention with schools, public agencies, civic organizations, community groups and individuals.
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To promote ongoing study and research of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg firefighting history and to disseminate that information.
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To serve as a repository for the artifacts and memorabilia related to the area's firefighting history and to encourage cooperation in preserving and propagating a better understanding of fire service history.
A Joint Effort
The museum is a joint effort between the Charlotte Fire Department and the Mecklenburg County volunteer fire departments to exhibit fire equipment and memorabilia, as well as educating the public on safety. Please bear with us as we develop this webpage to showcase the history and artifacts from all of the departments in and around the Queen City!