Thursday, April 24, 2025
The Malverne Historical and Preservation Society and the village Muster Club have requested financial help from the state to restore a vintage fire truck and expand the Historical House to display this piece of local history. In January, letters detailing the projects were sent to State Sen. Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick’s office, along with an endorsement from Mayor Tim Sullivan.
The Muster Club focuses on preserving and showcasing the history of fire service equipment, particularly vintage fire trucks. It is in the process of restoring a 1938 Seagrave pumper truck used by the village until 1983, when it was taken out of service.
“It was in service here, in Malverne, for so long,” Deputy Mayor Scott Edwards, a member of the Muster Club and an administrative firefighter with the Malverne Fire Department, said. “It was the last of what they call the ‘open cab,’ where it doesn’t have any cab — you actually rode outside the whole time. It was the last of those trucks we had, so the guys wanted to hold on to that piece of history.”
After the truck was decommissioned, it was in storage until the early 1990s, when department members wanted to restore it. They raised the money to send it to a facility that refurbished its exterior.
The truck was returned to Malverne in 1997, and was briefly used in village celebrations before it became inoperable.
“Unfortunately, the motor was damaged from driving,” Edwards said. “It’s basically sat ever since because it needed a motor, so it has not run in 25 years, at least.”
The Muster Club is hoping to bring the vehicle back to street-ready condition after years in storage. Members are working with the historical society to create a permanent garage for it, to facilitate educational and community events that will focus on the history of firefighting.
“If we’re successful, the plan is to get it running again and, with the grant request we submitted, we want to build a permanent garage for it,” Edwards said. “The logical place to do that was the historical society house — they have room there. To have it just be a piece of history that people can look at, and that we can use for our annual Memorial Day Parade and other Fire Department parades we participate in.”
The historical society’s headquarters are located at the Joseph R. Landers Memorial Restoration House on 369 Ocean Ave.
“The Seagrave fire truck is not only a symbol of the department’s dedication and service, but also a living piece of our village’s legacy,” Phil Ballin, president of the historical society, wrote in a letter to Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick. “As one of the oldest fire trucks in the region, it holds immense historical value and continues to evoke strong memories and pride among residents.
“The preservation of this truck, and the ability to share its story with future generations,” Ballin added, “is essential to safeguarding the rich history of our community.”
The Muster Club has been working toward restoring the truck’s motor for several years, and has obtained three others of the same vintage, though they, too, are in disrepair. “The hope is that through the combination of those three we can put one working motor together,” Edwards said.
“There’s not a lot of these motors left,” he explained. Pierce-Arrow, a motor vehicle manufacturer that went out of business in 1938, made the Seagrave pumper’s motor. “They built motors for very expensive, high-end cars,” Edwards said, “and because those cars have been preserved and stored, a lot of the people that own those cars (have) bought up a lot of the parts and the motors, things that you need. So finding the parts is difficult.”
Edwards estimates a total cost of replacing and rebuilding the motor of $45,000, which the Muster Club has requested from the state. The club arrived at that figure after consulting with other fire departments that have restored antique trucks.
If it does not receive a grant, the club plans to fundraise aggressively to cover the cost of the project.
Specialized climate controls will be installed at the historical house’s permanent garage to protect the vehicle. The construction will allow the museum to serve as a flexible event space, expanding its facilities to host educational and social programs. The expansion will also make the historic building more accessible, allowing the society to add a fully accessible restroom.
“I think the members of the department, especially the younger members, just knowing that we have this, it’s a piece of history,” Edwards said. “I think it gives the individuals that volunteer currently a sense of pride, and I would hope that maybe it encourages younger generations to look into volunteering as a volunteer firefighter or taking it up as a career.”
