Engine Company No. 3 was formed in 1849, one year after Racine was incorporated as a city. The volunteer company was made up almost exclusively of Welsh immigrants. The company’s original home was located on 7th Street between Main Street and Wisconsin Avenue, and was used used as a firehouse until 1868. A new building on 6th Street was constructed in 1881 and designed in a Victorian Italianate style by David R. Jones, an architect from Madison, Wisconsin. The two-story cream brick building features a tower, stone accents, stilted segmental arched windows and front door, and a denticulated cornice. Two years after Engine Company No. 3 moved into their new home, the Racine Fire Department changed from volunteer service to a professional company. Several alterations were made to the building over the years, but it was partially restored in 1987 and today is used as a firefighters museum.
Racine Fire Department Station No. 3 was active in the building from 1882 to 1968. It housed a horse-drawn steamer and hose cart (1882–1918), motorized fire apparatus (1918–1943), and Racine’s first full-time rescue squad (1943–1968). The station was closed in 1968 when the new safety building opened and several companies were relocated.
Maintained by the Racine Fire Bells, the museum features an 1882 Stephen Freeman steam fire engine, vintage fire alarm boxes, old breathing apparatus, and historical second-floor living quarters. Admission is free. The museum is open for group tours and school field trips by appointment or during Downtown Racine First Fridays, Party on the Pavement, and parades.