Central's Fire Museum

It's not so unusual for Central to have an interest in fire fighting equipment. We started out in 1876 as a fire insurance company. In rural midwestern towns like Van Wert, buying fire insurance was a difficult and costly proposition. Building construction was primarily wood and there was little, if any, organized protection against fire. The large, established eastern insurance companies were hesitant to provide insurance protection. The "Van Wert County Mutual Fire Insurance Company" was formed on April 5, 1876 to fill that need -- the start of what was to become today's Central Insurance Companies.

The threat of a disastrous fire was always very real and the equipment used to fight fire primitive. F. W. "Bill" Purmort, Jr., President of Central from 1964 to 1994, first took an interest in collecting fire equipment in 1969. Bill was particularly proud of Central's heritage with a deep respect for the past. He gradually built Central's museum into one of the finest privately owned collections in the U.S. The museum is a fitting tribute to Bill.

There's a lot to see:

• A collection of leather fire buckets dating back to the 1700's.
• Over 600 antique fire toys consisting of cast iron, rubber, glass, tin and wood construction.
• A large display of fire extinguishers and glass fire "grenades" dating from the 1850's.
• A rare and valuable collection of "firemarks" dating back to 1720.
• A wardrobe of antique fireman helmets and uniforms.
• Van Wert's first hand-drawn pumper used in 1871, and an Ahrens horse-drawn steam pumper which was purchased new in 1907 by the city of Van Wert and restored by Central (pictured above).
• A 1926 Ahrens-Fox pumper, the Rolls Royce of firetrucks -- and much more.

The museum is dedicated to the ingenuity and pioneer spirit of those who came before us. Much of the equipment on display is part of our local history and was actually used in Van Wert. We're proud of our heritage, and pleased that we can offer you this look into the past. Visiting hours for the museum are from 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. on the third Friday of each month or by appointment. Click here to schedule a tour.