Firehouse Museum

The Firehouse Museum is located at Fifth and Stafford streets. On exhibit in the museum are three fire trucks and three early Washington passenger vehicles.

1917 Model T Ford: Washington’s first motor-driven fire truck, it was built from Henry Otto’s 1914 Model T car.  He offered the car to the fire department for conversion to a fire truck. In the 1980s, it was found in a junkyard. Several fire department members restored it.

1935 Dodge:  Washington’s third fire truck is owned by the “Blazechasers.”

1918 Jeffrey:  Truck was built as a World War I Army vehicle and sold after the war as surplus.  It was purchased and converted to a fire truck by an unknown fire department.  “Firetiques” owns the truck.  It has no historic connection to Washington.

1908 Economy Motor Buggy:  Walter Stumpe bought this car new. This buggy-like car is very rare, the Economy company only lasting two years.  Clarence Stumpe found the car when he was hired to clean out a shed behind the “Banker” Stumpe house on Fifth Street. He was ordered to haul everything to the dump, including the car.  He asked if he could keep it. He got it running and drove it in parades for many years as “Washington’s oldest car.” This was not quite true, but Clarence did not know the year it was built and made the assumption of ‘about’ 1905.  Recent research has pinned an accurate date of 1908 on it. 

1907 Ford:  Bought new by Henry Sulltrop, this car remains in the Fischer family, Mr. Sulltrop’s descendants. It is Washington’s oldest car!

1912 Maxwell Messenger:  Owned since the 1930s by the Clarence Stumpe family, the original owner is unknown. It is believed to have been a locally-owned vehicle that Clarence hauled home. We have circa 1930’s photos of it being towed by Stumpe’s tow truck.

The Firehouse Museum is located in a retired fire station owned by the City of Washington. It is not open under regular hours. Tours may be arranged by calling the main museum at 636-239-0280.