Harrisonburg Fire Museum reopens

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - The Harrisonburg Fire Museum has reopened to the public.

Located on the third floor of the public safety building, the museum is a wrap-around self-guided tour.

The museum is filled with memorabilia and historical pieces from not only the Harrisonburg Fire Department but the city as well.

”The museum started out very small just a couple items that we had laying around with the fire department for a long time and it has gradually grown throughout the years to what it is today. It’s not a large museum but it’s, we think, a very nice museum,” Larry Shifflett, retired chief of the Harrisonburg Fire Department said.

The museum closed in 2020 to curtail the spread of COVID through the fire department.

“It’s a little bit of an unusual setting for the museum but it works very well in that people that come in can walk the floor and take a look at the displays here and if they have any questions they can stick their head in any office and talk to the people in the office to hopefully be able to explain anything it is that they want to know about,” Chief Shifflett said.

Shifflett plays a big role in the museum, but there are a few things in there that he is partial to.

“We have a bell that was the city’s first fire alarm it came from a local Methodist church, the bell weighs 800 pounds it’s not small by any stretch of the imagination, and it’s on display here along with photographs of the station and the bell tower where it was located,” Chief Shifflett said.

The museum is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

You can check in at the front desk of the public safety building or call HFD headquarters to schedule an appointment.

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