The FASNY Museum of Firefighting has a rich and storied history. At the fifty-first State Firemen's Convention held in Hudson, New York in 1923, a resolution was signed by the Presidents and Secretaries of both the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY) and the Exempt Firemen's Association of the City of New York. This resolution stated that if FASNY would authorize the erection of a suitable building for a museum, four antique fire engines would be donated to the fledgling museum by the Exempt Firemen’s Association of the City of New York. These antiquities included the oldest documented fire engine in New York State, a Newsham Engine, circa 1725. Also included in this donation was a gooseneck-style engine, a piano-style engine and a double-decker-style engine. These rare and wonderful old pieces of apparatus would serve as the foundation of the new collection of this museum, which would later become known as the FASNY Museum of Firefighting.

So, amidst much anticipation, the Museum was built on the grounds of the Firemen’s Home in Hudson, New York. On the morning of November 12, 1925, the valuable apparatus donation was delivered from New York City to the Museum. The Museum was dedicated on Memorial Day 1926, with an official ceremony marking the grand occasion. The original building consisted of a center hall and two adjoining wings, totaling 2,600 square feet of Museum space. In order to accommodate the numerous donations to the Museum, additions to the building were necessary. The first addition occurred in 1957, the second addition was built in 1972, with another expansion in 1989, and yet another in 2000. Currently, the total square footage of the Museum stands at approximately 50,000 square feet.

Today, the FASNY Museum of Firefighting is the home of the premiere collection of American firefighting artifacts in the world. From four pieces of apparatus, the Museum’s collection has grown to include ninety pieces of apparatus and numerous smaller artifacts. The Museum staff utilizes this collection to convey the proud story of the American firefighter in new and exciting exhibits throughout the Museum. As stewards of this world-class collection, the Museum Board of Directors’ main objective is to ensure the longevity of the collection, so that future generations of Americans may continue to contemplate and enjoy this amazing collection.