Lee and Karen Duquette drove to Harrisonburg,
Virginia
and explored the Fireman's Museum
101 N. Main Street
Harrisonburg, VA 22802
July 13, 2023
Note: There is also a Harrisburg, Virginia. But on this page is about Harrisonburg, Virginia, a city in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley.
"Harrisonburg
was previously known as Rocktown and was named for Thomas Harrison,
a son of English settlers. In 1737, Harrison settled in the Shenandoah
Valley, eventually laying claim to over 12,000 acres, situated at the
intersection of the Spotswood Trail and the main Native American road
through the valley.
In 1779, Harrison deeded 2.5 acres of his land to the "public good" for the construction of a courthouse. In 1780, Harrison deeded an additional 50 acres. This is the area now known as "Historic Downtown Harrisonburg."
In 1849, trustees chartered a mayor–council form of government, although Harrisonburg was not officially incorporated as an independent city until 1916. Today, a council–manager government administers Harrisonburg."
Below: A few works of art around town
Below: A 16-foot tall Blue Rider sculpture of a Vespa scooter in front of the Smith House, 311 South Main Street, Harrisonburg. The Blue Rider is one of two Snyder sculptures installed locally this spring. The other, Big Vespa, is located at The Oliver Art House, 131 S Main Street, Broadway.
BUT the two RV Gypsies did NOT know any of this ahead of time, and this was just a quick photo Karen Duquette took from the moving car. If she had done research on this before leaving the area, they would have gone to see the other sculpture.
Note: In the 1970's Lee Duquette worked full-time as an Electrician. But he also served as a Volunteer Fireman in Terryville, Connecticut. So, he wanted to take the free, unguided tour of the FIRE MUSEUM inside Harrisonburg Public Safety Building on the third floor. The two RV Gypsies were given an ID pass just as they entered the building, which closes at 4 p.m.
The Harrisonburg Fire Department Museum features a rich display of historic fire memorabilia such as uniforms, medals, equipment, old fire alarms, and photographs. The two RV Gypsies are extremely glad that so much advancement has been made in fire equipment and safety through the year.
As of this date, there are 4 modern, working fire stations in Harrisonburg. At this time, the two RV Gypsies would like to remind every driver to pull over for fire trucks with their siren on. It could save a life. And be sure to read the sign at the very end of this page.
Below: badges, Fire Truck Bell from a 1950 America LaFrance Fire Engine and more
Below: Parade uniform worn by the
Captain of Hose Company No. 4
Below: Hose Co. No. 4 Drum
and Bugle Corp
marching on Main Street in the 1950's
Below: A Fire Alarm box and sign
Below: Gutta Percha Hose Reel and sign
Below: Lee Duquette reading an article from May 22, 1971 about an old fire bell.
Below: Entering another section of the room, located just to the right of the above photos, Lee Duquette noticed the old dental chair and sink in the far corner. That looked like a lot of Pain to Karen Duquette.
Below: Chemical Entry Suit
Below: 1895 Telephone
Below: Rapelling Information
(as spelled in the sign)
- Equipment firefighters used for repelling in the mid 20th Century
Below: The small green Mae West Fire Hydrant and sign
Below: The story of Life Nets
Below: Lee and Karen Duquette can be seen in the mirror as Karen photographed a life net blanket.
Below: Some of the items in
the first photo include a Telegraph Device for the deaf (TDD), Standby
Base Station from the 1970s, instructions on how to answer emergency phone
calls about trauma, seizures, poisoning, etc.
The photo on the right is a Radio console with a Standard Dispatching
book and more.
Below: Walking along a narrow hallway with business offices and workers on each side of the hallway felt strange to Karen Duquette, but it was part of the tour. There was a lot of interesting things on the walls to be seen, read and learn from.
