Built in 1907, the Fair Park Fire Station served its Dallas neighborhood faithfully for almost three-quarters of a century. But when the station neared its 70th birthday, it was transformed into a site for education rather than public aid. The Dallas Firefighter’s Museum was christened inside the station in 1972, and the facility was officially retired from active duty three years later.
Today, the DFM houses more than 100 years’ worth of firefighting history, from historic photography to equipment. You can see how uniforms, tools, and extinguishers have evolved since the turn of the 20th century, or check out the “Joker System,” a punch-tape board from the 1920s that used to alert companies to emergencies. The museum also exhibits vehicles such as an 1884 steam pumper named “Old Tige” and an old fire engine from the ’50s.