Grant’s Fire Museum

07/29/2026

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to everyone who helped make this year’s Open House another tremendous success!

This year’s event was especially meaningful as we welcomed two very special guests.

First, we were honored to have our retired Lead Volunteer, Joseph Wagner, join us as we officially dedicated our museum showroom as the Joseph Wagner Showroom in recognition of his years of hard work, dedication, and unwavering commitment to Grant’s Fire Museum. It was a truly special moment to have Joe with us to witness this well-deserved honor.

We were also proud to recognize Wendell Eckert, who is celebrating 40 years of service with Ontario Hose Company No. 3 of the Norwich Fire Department. Wendell spent many years serving from the historic Sheldon Street fire station when it was still an active station, and over the past six years, he—along with so many members of Ontario Hose Company—has been an incredible supporter and friend of the museum. It was our privilege to present Wendell with a commemorative plaque recognizing both his loyal friendship to the museum and his four decades of dedicated service.

To everyone who attended, volunteered, donated, and continues to support Grant’s Fire Museum, thank you. Your encouragement and generosity allow us to preserve and share our firefighting history for future generations.

A special shout-out and heartfelt thank you as well to the Norwich Fire Department for bringing their historic 1895 American LaFrance Steamer to the event. It was an incredible highlight and a true honor to have such a remarkable piece of firefighting history on display for our guests to enjoy.

We truly appreciate each and every one of you, and we look forward to seeing you all again next year! ❤️🚒

07/25/2026

07/21/2026

Preparation is in full swing for our Annual Open House this Saturday!

A huge thank you to our dedicated museum volunteers—Bill Ballin, Liam Ballin, and Dan Ackermann—for all of your hard work and dedication today. We couldn’t do it without you!

We hope you’ll join us this Saturday at 1:00 PM for our Annual Open House. Come explore the museum, check out our special exhibits, and help us celebrate the history of the fire service. We look forward to seeing everyone there!

07/17/2026

OPEN HOUSE 2026 is around the corner!

July 25th, 2026 at 1 PM.

Join us for this special celebration and explore around 200 years of fire service history from across New York State.

We extend our sincerest gratitude for your support over the years and look forward to seeing you there!

06/04/2026

Opening for the season this Saturday!

We will be open every Saturday 10 AM to 3 PM for the season starting June 6th!

Our annual Open House event will be July 25th at 1 PM!

05/15/2026

We will be open every Saturday 10 AM to 3 PM for the season starting June 6th!

Our annual Open House event will be July 25th at 1 PM!

05/14/2026

Tonight we hosted the first-ever Museum Volunteer Meeting and welcomed over 10 new volunteers! Current and new volunteers came together to discuss goals for this year’s open season, future projects, and museum operations as we continue working to grow and improve what we’ve built.

As many of you know, my dear friend Joe Wagner has officially retired from volunteering at the museum. Joe dedicated countless hours over the years, and filling his shoes was never going to be an easy task. It truly takes a village — and tonight proved we have one.

Tonight I also officially named museum volunteer Dan Ackermann as the museum’s new Lead Volunteer. Dan has been involved in the fire service since the age of 12, beginning as a junior firefighter with the Valley Stream Fire Department on Long Island before joining Ontario Hose Co. #3 over 40 years ago. Over the years, Dan has been a tremendous asset to the museum, and I’m excited to see him step into this role.

I am beyond grateful to everyone from the Norwich Fire Department — active and retired — who showed up tonight to help support and grow our museum. The passion, support, and willingness to volunteer are what will keep this museum moving forward for years to come.

Museum Director
Andrew T. Grant

12/06/2025

It is with profound regret that Grant’s Fire Museum announces the passing of Carol Wagner, wife of Lead Museum Volunteer Joseph Wagner.

Carol was known for her smiling and welcoming spirit. Since day one, Carol loved the idea of turning the Sheldon Street station into a fire museum, as she shared many memories at Sheldon Street with her husband, Joe. Carol served the city as a Norwich Fire Auxiliary member and as a 'fire wife.' Our very own lead museum volunteer, Joe, will tell stories about when it was 'her turn' to make phone calls to firefighters whenever Norwich would have a call to respond to a job; a select group of firefighters' wives were given this task. We want to thank Carol for her service to the citizens of Norwich and thank you for supporting our museum since the very beginning. Your support and impact will never be forgotten.

Please keep the Wagner family in your thoughts as they navigate this difficult loss.

Andrew T. Grant
Museum Director