To walk through a building over 175 years old is not a tremendously uncommon activity in Warren, given the number of historic structures that have been preserved and protected throughout its downtown waterfront district. However, there’s no denying that some structures have a certain power about them — where a palpable current of ethereal energy almost seems to flow from the floorboards under your feet.

The Warren Fire Department Museum at 38 Baker St., housed in what used to be the home of the Narragansett Engine Co. 3, is one of those places.

The museum has undergone a year-long reorganization and restoration process, starting with its massive front doors, which received $25,000 from the Town’s ARPA funds as part of a facade improvement grant program. Although not the original doors, they are an exact recreation of what would have been utilized in 1846, when the building was erected and Engine 3 began as a company.

Inside, among the collection of memorabilia which has been lovingly collected and displayed within the museum, you’ll find Engine 3’s original handwritten charter, antique aluminum helmets, badges, fire horns, and countless photographs and drawings depicting the fire department’s storied history.

But the marquee item is without a doubt the “Hero”, the department’s original firefighting apparatus, which came into action in 1802 with the birth of Warren’s fire department. The original hose still sits connected to the Hero’s reservoir, where water would have been laboriously hand-pumped via long wooden levers. Although they swap that hose out for a replica during demonstrations, the nearly 221-year-old machine, made largely of wood, still works.

An affable steward of the museum, Captain Vincent P. “Vinny” Calenda (Ret.) knows the history of each piece like he’s preparing to write a book — which he did, actually, when he chronicled the department’s history and a particularly unprecedented 20-year period of time between 1966 and 1986 when there were 46 fires, four civilian and three firefighter deaths; which he dubbed “When Warren Burned”, and released for the 175th anniversary of Engine 3 in 2021.

“The place needed some attention,” Calenda said of the museum. “This is where the history of the fire department begins, and it’s a rich history.” For example, did you know that former Rhode Island governor Thomas Goodwin Turner was actually a charter member of Engine 3 in Warren?
And although Engine 3 artifacts are numerous (it was their home for over 100 years, after all), all of Warren’s firefighting units are represented and honored alongside one another.

Dozens of volunteers throughout the town all came together to help clean up the museum, which had been looked after for many years by George Gempp. Calenda gave special thanks to Barry Lowe (Engine 2), Rick Santos (Engine 3), John Jannitto (Engine 1), Pat O’Brien (Engine 2), Mike Conlon (Engine 3), Chief James Sousa, Fire Marshal Matthew Primiano, members of the Warren DPW, his son Alexander Calenda (Engine 3), former Chief Al Galinelli, Twiggs Automotive, and Tavares Construction for their help with the work.

Although it has been many years since firefighters gathered and responded to moments of crisis from 38 Baker St., perhaps it is the collection of so many items — helmets, utility belts, uniforms worn by members like Capt. Fred Collamore, who served in the role from 1930-34 and whose jacket is on display upstairs — that enables the memory of those events to live on, and remain felt in some way to this day.

Certainly, Calenda believes that to be the continuing importance of the museum.

“You have to remember where you came from,” he said. “The firefighters who came before us deserve to be recognized and remembered.”