A big piece of North Bay history is taking up a large portion of the exhibit area of the North Bay Museum.
A restored 1928 Bickle Fire Engine used for close to two decades by North Bay fire crews is now on display.
Naomi Hehn, Museum Director and Curator, says it's the largest piece of history ever displayed within the museum.
"Getting it in and out of the building is not easy but while it is here it is going to be on display for quite some time now," said Hehn.
"It is not something we will be taking in and out on a regular basis."
In 1928, the City of North Bay purchased its second fire engine, a Bickle produced by the Bickle Fire Engine Company located in Woodstock, ON.
Hehn has been working on fundraising to get the fire truck restored for close to two years now.
Peter Martin, took on the task in September of 2021 and 365 days later it was ready for display.
Martin, whose father was a firefighter, always wanted to restore an old fire truck. Martin found a chemical tank in Lincoln, Ontario, and had to re-fabricate the front bumper. Other than that, he says it was all about hard work.
"It was just a lot of elbow grease, getting rid of old oil and grease," said Martin.
"Then rubbing compound, a lot of rubbing compound. There are no parts available so anything needed fixing it was either repair it, or we make new as we went."
See related: North Bay Museum to restore historic fire engine
The family of Cliff Cowcill, who donated the truck to the museum, was on hand to see the new display.
Cliff is currently suffering from dementia and resides at Casselholme.
His wife Maureen was at the unveiling on her husband's behalf. She recalls the day that she found out her husband wanted to buy an old fire truck.
"He surprised me, he told me he had seen this really nice fire truck, and it would be fun to restore it," she said.
Like any financially responsible spouse, Maureen asked Cliff how much.
"He said it cost, $4,500 and I told him we did not have that kind of money and then he admitted he had already bought it," recalled Maureen about the purchase made in the late 1990s.
While Maureen is disappointed Cliff cannot enjoy the day with them, she knows how he would react.
"He would say this is great and he would climb up and blow the horn," said Maureen.
She believes he would have been thrilled to see his grandchildren and great-grandchildren climbing on their piece of history.
"It's special, it gives our family a special love of the history of North Bay," she said
