Behind the Wheel: Learn history to a ‘T’ with Eastpointe’s antique 1921 fire truck

DETROIT — Anyone who visits the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant Museum in Detroit will see an important piece of Eastpointe history.

Eastpointe’s first-ever fire truck is among the many antique vehicles on display. The 1921 Ford Model T was purchased a little more than 100 years ago when Eastpointe was known as Erin Township.

A group of business owners pooled their money to buy the chemical fire truck. They were concerned about fires as the township grew and felt the horse and wagon used in town to douse flames wasn’t enough. The proprietors wanted a truck to carry more water and also allow for the pumping of water.

For the next five years, the red 1921 model will remain at the museum for public viewing. At the Aug. 19 Eastpointe City Council meeting, the council voted 4-0 to approve the automobile loan agreement between Eastpointe and the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant Museum for five years, beginning Aug. 1, 2025, and expiring Aug. 1, 2030. Council member Rob Baker was absent.

Eastpointe Fire Chief Jason Clark said there was no exchange of money involved in the loan agreement, just that the museum will house and maintain the fire truck for the next five years. This is the second five-year cycle for a loan agreement.

“It’s still looking good,” Clark said. “They seem like they’re doing a good job taking care of it.”

On the late morning of Oct. 31, Clark, retired Eastpointe Fire Chief Danny Hagen, retired Fire Capt. Don Schmidt and his wife, Kim; and retired firefighter Joe Radzwion III toured Piquette with museum operations manager Samantha Wilkinson. Eastpointe Mayor Pro Tem Cardi DeMonaco Jr. and Eastpointe City Council members Harvey Curley and Baker joined them.    

Eastpointe’s first-ever fire truck was used by the city’s firefighters until 1942. Although the vehicle ceased fighting fires, it remained in the city — which for decades was called East Detroit — for parades and other events over the years.

One memorable moment for Hagen came in 1981 when he and his bride, Mary, cruised in the historic truck on their wedding day. They drove from St. Jude Catholic Church, on Seven Mile Road in Detroit, to the Eastpointe Fire Station on Nine Mile Road near Gratiot Avenue, where they switched vehicles for the reception. The newlyweds drew plenty of onlookers.

“We went down Kelly Road and it started to rain. My wife was the best sport in the world,” Hagen remembered. “The people were going bonkers when they saw the truck.”

The museum provides informational signs for all the exhibited cars. According to the Eastpointe sign, the 1921 Model T chemical fire truck had 20 horsepower and weighed 1,439 pounds.

The truck was either assembled at the Ford Highland Park Plant or a branch of the plant. The gas-powered truck drove about 25 mph and came with a two-speed transmission. It was equipped with standard pneumatic non-skid tires, and hard rubber tires were optional. Hagen said there was a siren system in town to alert when there was a fire.

“There was one hose and they used axes to open the door and open the roof to let out smoke and gases,” Hagen said, adding that axes also were utilized “for quick entry” into the home or building. Firefighters did not have all the updated equipment and safety gear available now.

“There were no masks, no (compressed) air,” Hagen said. “It wasn’t in existence at the time.”   

While on the tour, a group of local students crossed paths with the firefighters, who shared their experiences with the fire truck.

“Driving it is like driving a go-kart in the wind. It’s a big open vehicle,” Radzwion III said. “It was like an icon in every Memorial Day parade. It was awesome. You felt so proud.”

“I was one of the few that drove it,” Schmidt said of those fun city events through the decades. “It brings back so many memories.”

According to its history, the Eastpointe Fire Department and the East Detroit Historical Society together restored the truck and won awards at the 2008 Detroit Autorama. In 2009, the Michigan Historical Commission presented the Michigan Week Gov. John B. Swainson award to Hagen for his “outstanding contribution to the preservation of Michigan history.”

The Halfway Model T chemical fire truck contains a plaque dedicated to the founding members of the department in 1921: Fire Chief Lorenz Rein, and firefighters Cyril Derdaele, Ray Woodcock, Frank Schustler, August Zado, Fred Rader, Jess Hamner, WM Yuckey, Gottfried Eschmann and Richard Paetsch.

The Ford Piquette Avenue Plant Museum is a Michigan historic site. Piquette was the first factory Ford Motor Co. built, and where models B, C, F, K, N, R, S and T were manufactured. Visitors can view antique cars that are from private collections or that the museum has purchased, including a 1903 Ford Model A Tonneau, a 1911 Hupmobile model 20 C, and a 1916 Studebaker.

The museum also has a replica of Henry Ford’s office, including a safe used to hide blueprints so corporate spies would not find them and a telescope for bird-watching. Ford, however, didn’t spend much time in his office, as he preferred to be on the assembly floor.

The Ford Piquette Avenue Plant Museum is located at 461 Piquette Ave. in Detroit. Free parking is available in the paved courtyard lot next to the building, and in the gravel lot directly across from the museum on Piquette Avenue. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. It is closed on holidays. For more information, go to fordpiquetteplant.org.