Exhibitions

This hand engine, filled by buckets instead of a hose, is the Musuem's oldest piece of fire equipment on display in Fire Engine Hall. Retired in 1832, it was preserved by the Lansingburgh (later part of Troy) fire department for over 100 years until it was donated to the State Museum in 1937.

This intricately adorned fire carriage was never intended to actually fight fires. Rather, it represented the pride that 19th-century volunteer fire departments took in their apparatus and was meant to dazzle on display in community parades. This hand-pulled carriage, with a dummy hose reel, featured velvet panels, beveled mirros, engraved gas lamps, and even an oil portrait!

Before radios and bullhorns, speaking trumpets were used to amplify verbal orders at a fire scene. Ceremonial speaking trumpets with elaborate designs were often given to retiring chiefs or as gifts from one company to another when visiting. In parades today, firefighters still carry ceremonial trumpets, often with a bouquet of flowers placed in the horn.

Sounding the Alarm
Early fire alarm systems included the "rattlewatch." Initiated in 1658, it consisted of a group of men who patrolled the towns at night and would shake loud wooden rattles to alert the townspeople of a fire. 

The Bucket Brigade
The earliest weapon colonists had to fight fires was the leather bucket. Most municipalities had rules requiring homeowners to have a certain number of them. In the event of a fire, all able-bodied adults were expected to bring their buckets to assist in the bucket brigade. Most commonly, men would pass the filled buckets, weighing around 12 pounds, and women would pass back the empty ones.