On October 6, 2015, a slab of granite that was removed from the face of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was added to the fire archive at The National Fire Heritage Center/Frederick County Fire/Rescue Museum (NHFC) at 300B South Seton Avenue in Emmitsburg. The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was the site of the April 19, 1995, Oklahoma City Bombing; the building was destroyed in the domestic terrorist bomb attack.
The building’s remnant was dedicated into the museum’s archive during a ceremony where a delegation of fire officials from Oklahoma was present. The delegation was being led by Oklahoma State Fire Marshal Robert Doke, who arranged representatives from every major state-level fire organization, including the Oklahoma City Fire Department, to be present.
In an interview with Your4State.com news, Wayne Powell, Executive Director of the NHFC said, The Oklahoma City Bombing is “often referred to [the bombing] as ‘Terror in the Heartland.’ We had never experienced in America anything of its nature,” adding that, “Leading up to the events of 9/11, it was the worst terrorist event to ever occur on American soil.”
Powell indicated that the stone is an important fragment, that is being added to an archive that represents a part of our nation’s history through documents and remains. The archive is the first fire-related archive in the country where visitors read, touch, observe the impact of fire and first responders in history. The archive is comprised of more than 8,000 objects with new items added continually. The goal of the NFHC is to preserve America’s written fire history, as well as display 3-D items that enhance their meanings.
About the Murrah Granite, Powell said, “The Granite with plaque supplements our collection of materials (reports, maps, videos, etc.) related to the role First Responders played the day of the Oklahoma Bombing and for many months afterward.”
The museum was established in 2005. Individual and organizational memberships are open to all interested in providing financial support and offers of historical print materials, too.
The NFHC is shares space with the Frederick County, Maryland, Fire/Rescue Museum at the same location in Emmitsburg, Maryland, within walking distance of the U.S. Fire Administration and its National Fire Academy, the Emergency Management Institute and related elements on the campus of the National Emergency Training Center where the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial is also located.
Visitors are always welcome (by appointment being best to assure proper support). The NFHC also is responsible for operation of the “National Fire and Emergency Services Hall of Legends, Legacies and Leaders” initiative and the “Benjamin Franklin Fire Writer’s Award” program. To learn more, please consult our website, www.thenfhc.org.
