Carousel Museum Collection
In preparation for your year end tax donations, please consider donating to the Carousel Museum's transportation fund! Our permanent collection of carousel animals continues to grow each year. Donations to the collection have come from all over the United States including, Maine, Connecticut, New York, Kansas, Las Vegas, New Jersey, California, and New York. Your support of our transportation fund will help us get these animals to the Museum and into their forever home!
The Museum of Fire History
Explore an amazing collection of firefighting gear, firehouse signaling tools, and historical items that show how fire service traditions have changed over time. Carefully arranged and presented, the exhibition includes fun activities such as pulling alarms, activating sirens, and ringing bells, offering visitors an interactive experience.
The Museum of Fire History was established in 2002 through the generous support of Carlyle “Hap” Barnes, with additional contributions from the Barnes Foundation. This dedicated space preserves and interprets the material culture of firefighting, highlighting both its technological advancements and its enduring role in community life.
The museum welcomes school groups and adult tours, providing educational opportunities for visitors of all ages to explore this important aspect of public service history.
A Word from Hap
Why a Museum of Fire History?
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" Back in 1948 at Wesleyan University, I began chasing fires, due, I think, in part, to my family history. My great-great-grandfather and two other men started the Bristol Fire Department in 1853. It must be in my blood. I had the opportunity to be appointed to the Bristol Board of Fire Commissioners in 1957 and served until December of 1993. During that time, I started collecting fire memorabilia - helmets, gongs, nozzles, and much more, placing them on the ground floor of a home we built in 1965. This home included a game room with a bar, the front of which simulated the back end of a fire truck. In recent years, the collection had grown to the point where my wife Betty wondered what we were going to do with all of it and wished we could put it somewhere where more people could see and enjoy it. Over the years, we had thought, half-heartedly, of opening a restaurant and calling it The Bell and Siren. Fortunately, that never materialized, particularly since neither of us had restaurant experience.
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A year or so ago, a good friend, Morris Laviero, said, "Why don't you donate the collection to the New England Carousel Museum?" He had been to a function at the Carousel Museum and had been given a "behind-the-scenes tour," showing him the work in progress at the Museum. The Museum was creating a cultural center for Central Connecticut and was inviting other museums and individual artists to join them in the building. Morrie spoke to the Board President, and they agreed that I should be contacted. They told me that they had room on the second floor and my collection would be a great benefit to Bristol. Since they were creating a Cultural Center in the building, they could run the Fire Museum as part of their operation. Great Idea!
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Here we are opening this Museum of Fire History in June 2002, after a lot of help from firemen, many interested friends, and with a great deal of donated time and effort. I would like to thank everyone who participated, donated, and helped create this Museum. Some of the items are on loan from the Bristol Fire Department and other individuals, but the majority of the equipment came from my collection."
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I think you will enjoy seeing it.
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Carlyle "Hap" Barnes
Expanding the Story:
Fire History and the Preservation of Carousel Art
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The Carousel Museum dedicates itself to preserving and interpreting the artistic, cultural, and material history of carousel carving. As part of this mission, we are undertaking new research that explores an often-overlooked aspect of carousel history: the impact of fire. Historically, carousels—constructed primarily of wood, canvas, and paint—were highly vulnerable to fire. Devastating blazes destroyed many important works of carousel art, from traveling carnivals to seaside amusement parks. These events not only destroyed rides but also erased the work of master carvers and workshops whose craftsmanship defined the field. In the coming months, our curatorial and research teams will begin developing a new interpretive section within the Museum of Fire History dedicated to the history of carousel fires.
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This initiative will connect the preservation of firefighting heritage with the conservation of carousel art, offering a more profound understanding of the risks these objects once faced and the efforts made to protect them. The existing collection of firefighting equipment and signaling devices provides valuable context for this story. These objects help illustrate the challenges firefighters encountered when responding to fires in large wooden structures, such as carousel pavilions and amusement parks—often under difficult, rapidly changing conditions. As part of this initiative, the museum is also exploring the acquisition and display of carousel figures that bear evidence of fire damage. Such objects serve as powerful artifacts, embodying both loss and survival and reinforcing the importance of preservation.
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This evolving exhibition reflects our ongoing commitment to research, interpretation, and responsible stewardship. We are grateful for the foundational support that made the Museum of Fire History possible, and we look forward to building on that legacy by aligning it more closely with the Carousel Museum's core mission.
Further updates will be shared as this project develops.
Image courtesy of CarouselHistory.com