History and Education
Our Story
The Phoenix Fire Company was formed in the mid 1800’s as the need for firefighting became more apparent. In the 1970’s, the first efforts were made to start the Phoenix Fire Museum out of a desire to preserve the history and honor those brave men and women who risked their lives for others.
History of Firefighting
When Chillicothe was established in 1779, firefighting wasn’t a top priority. It was many years before a fire department was established. In the early 1800’s the means of firefighting was very meager, consisting mainly of a small fire engine pulled by horses and buckets that were made of leather and/or wood.
How we are Funded
We are funded by private donations and organized fundraisers. Our main fundraiser is our annual fish fry. Every year in October, during Fire Fighter week, we fry over 600 pounds of fish and over 500 tenderloin and we see so much community support!
Video Documentary
Hear more about our story told by members of the Phoenix Club. Click here to view the video.
One of the best collections of memorabilia.
Our purpose is to acquire, preserve, restore, and display fire apparatus and memorabilia. The Phoenix has acquired probably one of the best collections east of the Mississippi River.
