The Pennsylvania National Fire Museum is a museum devoted to fire fighter heritage in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States.
Located in a 100-year old former Harrisburg fire station the Pennsylvania Fire Museum makes for a fun stop. There’s accessible parking near the barrier-free front entrance, and plenty of room to maneuver a wheelchair inside. And for slow walkers, a manual wheelchair is available at the front desk.
This museum has everything you can imagine that’s fire-department related – and a few things you’ve probably never seen before. They have a huge collection of parade stock on the first floor, including an 1894 horse wagon, an 1899 steamer and a 1911 International Harvester hose wagon. Interpretive displays are interspersed with the rolling stock to put things in perspective, and the enthusiastic volunteers are full of old fire stories.
There’s elevator access to the hayloft, which was later converted to living quarters when horses were no longer needed to pull the fire engines. It includes a collection of parade hats, and a plethora of fire memorabilia. But perhaps the prize artifact is the Gamewell alarm system which was installed in Johnstown’s city hall in the 1920s. And you even get to pull a fire alarm for a little demonstration of how the system works. It’s just a fun space, and the volunteers make the artifacts come to life.
Blue Star Museum
The Blue Star Museum program is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and museums across America. Each summer since 2010, Blue Star Museums have offered free admission to the nation’s active-duty military personnel and their families, including National Guard and Reserve.
Military members must show active Military ID for admission.
Field Trips and Tour Information
Thank you for considering the Pennsylvania National Fire Museum for your field trip. Our guided tours are 75-90 minutes in length. To schedule a guided tour, the museum requests at least two weeks’ notice so that we can have enough volunteer staff on hand. The group rate is $6.00 per person regardless of age and applies to all attendees. (Students, teachers, chaperones, etc.) Museum offers off-street parking and is handicap accessible.
