Can you hear the Clanging of the fire bell?

On our recent trip to Dwight we came across a wonderful old piece of technology sitting at the visitors center. A 1914 American La France Model "T" Ford fire engine. This is a type 32 which was produced between 1914 thru 1927. It was a marriage of sorts between the Ford motor company which supplied the rolling chassis and American La France which supplied the fire fighting apparatus.

The fire engine served Dwight faithfully from 1914 thru 1937 when it was acquired by the owner of the Texaco station as a promotional tool for his Fire Chief brand of gasoline. The engine was repainted and the motor restored in 1970. It was later sold and donated to the Dwight Historical society who then put it on display at the Texaco station it had once called home.

It's available for children to sit on ( Lil' Nick took advantage of that ) and is a cute addition to the Route 66 gas station we stopped at. People from all over the world stop by there, a couple from England were leaving as we arrived. So next time you want someplace to go, consider a drive down to Dwight.