the fire museum of southern illinois

I didn't know this was located in the mall. I didn't even know there was a museum. We enjoyed looking around at all the old equipment, pictures, and history lessons. Enjoyed the step back in time, and looking at everything. Many of the items were in used quality, which shows how they would look after being used compared to some museums where you only see items which are new and were never used or are a replica. You can tell these items are from the actual fire departments. This is a great visit, that is free, and they accept donations. Fun for the entire family!

On business in the area, I stopped into the local mall to purchase a new suitcase for my trip home as mine had been destroyed by the airline on the trip out. Saw this little museum in the spot where a mall shop used to be, just outside of JC Penney. There was a full-size antique fire truck sitting in the middle of the room with all kinds of interesting objects and pictures lining the sides of the room, and no intimidating characters present to rope me into unwanted conversation, so I decided to take a peek... and I'm so glad I did! There was so much cool fire-related stuff in this little area, and all of it you could get a nice up-close look at or even touch! Many pictures and descriptions of local fires, but the most fascinating things to me were the life net (looks like a trampoline and you may have seen them in movies or cartoons), the old fire extinguishers and the wooden water pipe! Now I know where the term 'water plug' came from! If you are in the area, I highly recommend this place for older children, possibly teens and all ages of adults.