Koorsen Fire Museum

04/21/2026

04/21/2026

03/24/2026

Cool, right? Come see our collection! The Koorsen Fire Museum is open Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5pm or by appointment. We are located at 2820 N. Webster Ave. in Indianapolis, Indiana. Admission is always free; we'd love to see you!

10/02/2025

Thank you to everyone who attended the Fire Muster and Flea Market at the Koorsen Fire Museum this past weekend! Your enthusiasm for fire safety and its history is what keeps our museum and others like it thriving. ✨

We are so pleased to partner with the Pompier, Pump, and Playpipe Society of Indiana to make this event possible. 🚒

If you were unable to join us this year, we hope to see you at our third annual Fire Muster and Flea Market next year. 🔥

If you attended the event, feel free to post your own pictures in the comments below! ⬇️

07/09/2025

Found on street corners and in public buildings all across the country, these fire alarm boxes represent a massive improvement in the ability to alert the public to the existence of a fire. These boxes utilized the telegraph system to call fire departments to a specified location whenever the alarm was pulled. They were often made of cast iron, and they all were marked with a unique number that was assigned based on the box's location.

The Koorsen Fire Museum has over one hundred alarm boxes in its collection.

06/24/2025

The IFD Water Tower No. 13 is the largest piece in the Koorsen Fire Museum collection. Originally produced by American LaFrance in three distinct pieces, this apparatus could rise to a height of 65 feet, or approximately six stories. The water tower remained in service for more than 40 years before moving into the possession of Rodger J. Birchfield, the IFD Historian. In 2020, the water tower found its home in the Koorsen Fire Museum.

06/12/2025

Carbon tetrachloride extinguishers come in various shapes and sizes. These extinguishers, advertised for planes, automobiles, and for home use, were filled with carbon tetrachloride and meant to be pumped with a handle. The chemical inside would shoot out in a stream and douse the fire. Now, carbon tetrachloride is no longer in use as a fire extinguishing agent.

05/19/2025

Glass fire grenades like these would have been placed on display inside homes and businesses, usually next to fireplaces as a precaution against fire. These grenades would have been filled either with a salt water solution or a chemical called carbon tetrachloride, an effective fire suppressant that has since been banned in fire extinguishers. In the event of a fire, these grenades would be thrown at the base of the flames, and the glass would shatter. The solution inside would douse the flames and put out the fire.

04/07/2025

Our Newsham Fire Engine turns 300 this year!
This Newsham fire engine is the oldest object in our collection. It was manufactured in London, England in 1725 and represents a huge leap in firefighting technology, being one of the earliest fire engine inventions in Europe.
To learn more about the Newsham Fire Engine, visit its page on our website!
https://www.koorsenmuseum.com/items/newsham-hand-pumper

03/12/2025

Fire buckets are one of the earliest known methods of fighting fires. Often made of hand-stitched leather, these buckets were intended to be used in bucket brigades: a line of people using the buckets to pass water from a well, river, or lake to the scene of a fire.
These buckets are some of the oldest pieces in the museum's collection, many dating back to the 18th century.