The Portland Fire Museum is located at 157 Spring Street, in a decommissioned firehouse built in 1837 for the department's Ocean Engine Company 4.

The origins of the fire museum date back nearly to the inception of the Portland Veteran Firemen's Association in 1891. Originally located on South Street (at the corner of Spring), in the decommissioned engine house that quartered Casco Hand Engine One, the PVFA began storing and collecting artifacts in 1895, after obtaining authorization from the city to use the decommissioned station as a meeting place for the association.

The Fire Museum moved to its current location in 1974, and today you can find thousands of photos and historical documents on display with thousands more stored on site. Along with many other unique pieces of firefighting history, including a fire alarm operator switchboard retired in 1948 and a replica of Engine 7, the department's 1959 Fireboat, the museum houses the 1848 hand-pump engine Atlantic Two, an 1871 Amoskeag Steam Fire Engine (on loan from Seal Cove Auto Museum) and a 1938 McCann Motor Pumper (formerly Engine 12).

Of course, at nearly 190 years old, the building itself is an historic blast from the past that contains many original elements from the firehouse's active history, including three of the original six horse stalls. With artifacts dating as far back as the early 1800s, the Portland Fire Museum is one of the most comprehensive collections of firefighting history in the country.

The fundamental purpose of the Portland Fire Museum is not just to preserve history but to share it with everyone. Though the museum has limited open hours, the members of the PVFA invite the public to reach out to arrange a private tour.