Wichita Falls Fire and Police Museum looking for community-based expansion

WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) - Wichita Falls has a long history of public safety, with both the fire and police departments dating back to the 1890s. But with more than a century of stories to tell, the Wichita Falls Fire & Police Museum is running out of room.

The museum, established in the early 90s, has spent more than 35 years collecting artifacts honoring the city’s heroes.

Its collection includes a motorcycle and 17 historic trucks, with only 13 of them currently on display. With artifacts spread across two buildings totaling about 14,000 square feet, museum officials expressed that they’re quickly running out of space.

Museum president Brad Corley said the museum’s growth has come to a halt.

“We have stored all our history here, and we’re getting to the point now where we have antique fire trucks and police artifacts donated to us and we don’t have the room to store it,” Corley said.

Corley said their limited space also means they’re having to turn away new donations.

“We’ve had to turn down fire trucks and police items because we didn’t have a place to securely keep them. That’s where we’re at,” Corley said.

Corley shared preserving these artifacts is critical to understanding the city’s past.

“When you have pieces of your history, you can always learn from mistakes in the past by looking back. Every time a large catastrophe happened here, we got a new truck or we got something different,” Corley said.

The museum also participates in several annual parades, including this year’s Downtown City Lights, and frequently supports other nonprofits by bringing vehicles out to events and fundraisers.

The museum has more than trucks, also housing historic tools, photos, and stories of both local departments.

For those interested in supporting the Wichita Falls Fire and Police Museum or helping them with their storage issues, they can join their Facebook group to learn more.