Saturday, April 30
1 p.m.
Friendship Firehouse Museum, 107 S. Alfred Street

Come to Friendship Firehouse Museum Saturday, April 30, at 1 p.m., and welcome back the historic hose carriage! The Friendship Fire Company’s ornate hose-reel carriage, purchased in 1858, has been off-site for much-needed conservation treatment. At the welcome-back event Conservator Josiah Wagener will discuss the conservation treatment, how he determined the historic appearance of the apparatus, and the techniques he used. Today’s first responders and fire apparatus will also be at the event. Come and compare equipment used in 2022 with apparatus available in the 1850s. Movement teams of City officials, Friendship Veterans Fire Engine Association Trustees and donors, and members of the Alexandria Fire Department will move the apparatus into the firehouse.

The hose-reel carriage was made in Alexandria in the North Pitt Street shop of coach maker and Friendship member Robert F. Prettyman. State of the art technology of its time, it provided firefighters a steady stream of water. The restoration was possible thanks to support by the Friendship Veterans Fire Engine Association, Custom Fire Apparatus, Simpson Development Corp., Virginia Association of Museums Top 10 Endangered Artifact Program, the Historic Alexandria Foundation, Donald F. Simpson, Sr., Jeanne Jacob & Gerry Frank, Marion Moon, David P. Baker, Joe Shumard, Spring2Action Alexandria, and community donors.

The event is a great opportunity to see the Friendship Firehouse Museum. On exhibit with the hose carriage are buckets, hose, axes, and Friendship’s mid-19th century suction engine – elaborately decorated with the company’s clasped-hands insignia. In addition to fighting fires, Friendship members participated in parades and performed duties for civic events. Their ceremonial artifacts such as helmets, capes and other regalia are also exhibited in the historic firehouse.

Friendship Firehouse Museum is owned and operated by the City of Alexandria and managed by the City’s Office of Historic Alexandria. For more information see https://www.alexandriava.gov/museums/location/visit-friendship-firehouse-museum, or call 703.746.4994.

For media inquiries, please contact Jim Holloway at jim.holloway@alexandriava.gov

For reasonable disability accommodation, contact jim.holloway@alexandriava.gov or call 703.746.4994, Virginia Relay 711.

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This release is available at alexandriava.gov/go/3571.