Relief Fire Co. No. 1 Museum - Mount Holly, NJ
N 39° 59.556 W 074° 47.106
18S E 518345 N 4426958
This single room firehouse/shed was once the original home for the oldest active volunteer fire company in the USA. Now it is a museum. The firehouse was moved from its original location to this site where it has been here for over a hundred years.
Waymark Code: WMA8DY
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 12/01/2010
Views: 4
This is a very small but neat little museum. I peered through the window and saw an antique steamer. The original firehouse of the Relief Fire Company is home to the museum.
The original fire house has been restored and serves as a fire museum containing an original steamer engine, leather buckets, lanterns and other memorabilia. I was able to peer through the window and spied the fire engine. The Mount Holly Historical Society helps in maintaining the museum in coordination with the Mount Holly Fire Department.
Naturally, a building this old and unique is also a contributing structure to the Mount Holly Historic District. In my never ending quest to document all things contributing, I visited the town town library to retrieve the nomination form and narratives for the historic district. The reference rewarded me with a very old packet from 1969. Despite what on-line sources would have you believe, there are actually 39 contributing structures and not 36.
From the Nomination Form:
14. RELIEF FIRE COMPANY BUILDING ....C 1798 ....17 Pine Street (Rear)
One story frame building with gabled roof and open rafter eaves; door is board and batten construction; siding is beaded edge weather boards; belongs to oldest volunteer fire company in continuous existence in the United States, which can be proven by company minutes of the Britannia Fire Company dated July 11, 1752.
