LOCAL 3
Hose Co. No. 3 Fire Museum
Apr 02, 2020

HOSE Co. No. 3 Fire Museum

116 Broadway Avenue

Pueblo, Colorado  81003             

Welcome to the HOSE CO. NO. 3 - Fire Museum in Pueblo, Colorado. The fire museum is operated by the Pueblo Firefighters Historical Society, which is dedicated to the preservation and presentation of the history of the Pueblo Fire Department and its firefighters. We are located in the heart of the historic Mesa Junction area of Pueblo, just 1/2 block from the architectually stunning Rawlings Public Library, and 1/2 mile from the historic Union Avenue District.                                                                                                                     

Fire Station No 3 in the 1930's.

History of the Hose Co. No. 3

Fire Museum


The two-story building is built of red brick with a large block, white sandstone front and was designed by local architect J. (John) F. Bishop in the style of the day. Bishop would later be killed in the "Eden Train Wreck" just north of Pueblo, which was one of the worst railroad disasters of the time. The first floor consisted of two stalls for the horses, room for the hose cart, the bottom half of the hose drying tower, and a stairwell leading to the second floor. The second floor consisted of a sleeping room, sitting room with four lockers, a bath room consisting of a bath tub, water closet, and wash bowl, a feed room with hay doors, and block and tackle for pulling the hay to the second story. (Information courtesy of the Pueblo Masonic Temple Association.)

 Hay door and block and tackle in the rear of the museum.

Hose Co. No. 3 soon after being constructed.

Chiseled into the building is "Hose Co No 3"

The horses were housed towards the alley side (left) of the building. They used to take them down to what is now Stauter Field on Abriendo Ave. to graze the horses. When they were inside the building, they would stick their head through the window and lick the limestone bottom of the window housing. An old firefighter (Walt Pickerel) visiting the museum told the story about the horses. It is thought to be damaged from water erosion when the city "fixed" the window in the early 1990's. Below is a picture of the window today.

The hay loft was converted into a kitchen in 1915, when the department ended its horse drawn era, however, the double doors into the kitchen and the block and tackle are still in place at the museum. The original brass pole is also still intact from the bedroom down. The rear door has since been sealed up, as it was built as a drive through station.

The fire station served the City of Pueblo until March 9, 1979, at 7:00 a.m. when the current Fire Station 3 was opened two blocks away. The last call in the fire house came at 4:18 a.m of March 9th. For ten years the building was used for storage by the Pueblo Fire Department.

In the fall of 1989, George Gussenbauer, a local businessman and fire buff, opened a museum in the old Hose Co. No. 3 fire house. He mixed his personal collection with city owned property and ran the museum for several years. He made many improvements to the building, such as adding stained glass above the truck door.


                               Fire Station 3 in 1970.                                  Pueblo businessman George Gussenbauer, founder of the Hose Co. No. 3 Fire Museum.

In 1992, Gussenbauer took his collection and closed the museum. It remained as it was until 2002 when several firefighters started to inventory the contents of the museum. Fire Inspector Gary Micheli spearheaded the effort to preserve the artifacts and get them numbered and accounted for. He also started giving tours to small groups and individuals, and got other firefighters involved in the museum. Mark Pickerel, who is now the Curator of the museum, was one to jump on board. Pickerel had fond memories visiting his father Walt Pickerel when he was stationed at the firehouse in the late 1960's.  

In 2005, the Pueblo FireFighters Historical Society made an agreement with the city to take control of the artifacts and pictures in the building, to go along with the trucks and hose carts already owned by the Historical Society. Rick Mark, who oversaw the maintenance and restoration of the fire trucks at the time was the President, with Gary Micheli being Vice-President and Director of the fire museum.

The museum was added to "Colorado Most Endagered List" for 2019.

The building has since been designated a Pueblo Historical Landmarkand and is protected from demolition and major alterations. The restoration of the building began with a $10,000 grant from the Historical Society's State Historic Fund for a Building Assessment, which was completed in late 2008. Work is ongoing, with a new generation of firefighters dedicated to preserving the heritage and artifacts of Pueblo Firefighters and the Pueblo Fire Department.


The Hose Co. No. 3 - Fire Museum is located in the old Station No. 3 of the Pueblo Fire Dept. in Pueblo, Colorado. The fire station was built in 1895 by the Masonic Temple, (South Pueblo Lodge No. 31 A. F. & A. M. of Pueblo), and leased to the City of Pueblo for $75 a month. The Mason's had built a wooden hose house 5 years earlier on the same parcel of land, but tore it down to build the new station. The Masons leased the fire station to the City until 1900, when the city purchased the building and land from the Masonic Temple for $500 and several stipulations. Two of these stipulations are that the city can only sell the property back to the Masons and that no alcohol can ever be on the premises.

To schedule a tour, please call Jake Garcia @ (719) 406-0307. You may also call Steve Cervi @ (719) 251-6250. 

The Hose Co. No. 3 - Fire Museum is operated by the Pueblo FireFighters Historical Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the rich history of the Pueblo (Colorado) Fire Dept.

Please visit the Hose Co. No. 3's website

at 

www.hosecono3.com


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Contact Info
IAFF Local 3
116 N Main St
Pueblo, Colorado 81003
 

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