Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Virginia Fire and Police Museum. Photographs, ca. 1875-ca. 1985. Accession 37327a. Organization records collection. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

Loaned by the Virginia Fire and Police Museum, 1 May 2003.

Historical Information

The Virginia Fire and Police Museum was founded in 1976 in an 1883 Richmond, Virginia, firehouse. The building is located on a site where firehouses have been located since 1849. The current building, which served as the home for Steamer Company number 5 until 1968 and for the 3rd police station until 1898, was slated for demolition in 1976. However, the building was saved to serve as the home for the museum. The museum offers visitors a lesson in police and firefighting architecture, uniforms, and equipment, and provides an educational program on fire and life safety. The museum was closed as a result of state budget cuts in 2002.

Scope and Content Information

Photographs, ca. 1875-ca. 1985, from the Virginia Fire and Police Museum of Richmond, Virginia, documenting over a century of fire fighting in Richmond. Photographs include images of fire companies; fire fighters; equipment; vehicles including engines, trucks, and steamers; horses used to pull fire vehicles; fires and fire fighting; fire fighting training; ruins; and street scenes. Also photographs of accidents; rescue workers; funerals; fundraisers; Christmas parties; fire and police department baseball teams; automobiles; parades; and the Virginia Fire and Police Museum. Of special interests are photographs of Richmond's African American fire fighters interspersed throughout the collection as well as a section grouped together at the beginning of box 11 which contain captions used in an exhibit. Also includes in box 11 newspaper clippings about various fires in and around Richmond.

Use xerox copies located in boxes 1 and 2 to determine which photographs interested in, before examining actual photographs.