Ansonia’s long tradition of volunteer firefighting went on public display over the weekend during an open house at the Ansonia Fire Museum.
The museum, located at 50 Howard Ave., the former Charles H. Pine High School, hosts a collection of old fire trucks and fire memorabilia.
The displays hark back to a volunteer firefighting tradition that spans more than a century in Ansonia.
The museum has been the pet project of Eugene Sharkey, a former Alderman who has been an Ansonia volunteer firefighter for 53 years.
While the museum has been open for scheduled tours for a few years, Sharkey said the plan is for it to be open on a more regular schedule.
That schedule, Sharkey said, will hopefully include it being open the third Saturday of each month, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
More hours could be added “depending on the amount of interest.’’
On Saturday (Aug. 20) Sharkey and fellow Ansonia volunteer firefighter John Hogan proudly showed visitors some of the historic fire trucks and parade vehicles, some of which dated back to the mid-to-late 1800s.
“Ansonia has such a rich firefighting tradition,’’ Sharkey said. “We just felt that it needed to be preserved and appreciated.’’
“That’s why this meant so much to us,’’ Hogan, who has been a volunteer firefighter in the city for 41 years, added.
The effort to create a fire museum for the city started in late 2004, when the Boys and Girls Club purchased the Pine High School from the City of Ansonia.
The Ansonia Fire Museum Corporation — a non-profit group set up to run the museum — rents the wing of the building for $1 a year, Sharkey said.
They use the $6,000 a year from the city to help pay for utility costs and repairs.
But that money doesn’t cover all the expenses to restore and upgrade the building.
The volunteers make up the difference with donated supplies and work.
The Boys and Girls Club paid for and installed all new windows, Sharkey said.
Several fire trucks are on display at the museum — including a 1948 open-top Mack EF truck with a front-mounted pumper. That truck was purchased by members of the Ansonia Fire Museum Corp.
Three other trucks are on loan from the Webster Hose Co. and Charter Hose Co. fire houses in Ansonia.
Several different displays track the progressions of fire equipment over the years.
Along one wall hang firefighter jackets dating from the 1930s to current times.
Various fire extinguishers — including a charred one used to fight the Latex Foam fire — line another wall.
Ladders are suspended from the high ceilings.
The fire museum also includes collections of memorabilia from other fire houses — including glass mugs and license plates.
