By Michelle Bliss
09-16-10 – The recently incorporated Wilmington Fire Historical Society has just received its first donation, a fire truck placed in service by the department back in 1963.
The Seagrave-brand aerial fire truck was donated by a resident who couldn't find the time to restore it.
Chris Nelson, a battalion chief for the Wilmington Fire Department, says that's probably because the truck needs quite a bit of work.
"The truck has a lot of rust on it. There's going to be: sandblasting and repainting, getting the engine back in running order, mechanical work, things like new tires, the whole truck is going to need to be repainted. We have a broken windshield on it."
The Wilmington Fire Historical Society says it hopes to one day open a museum. Until then, the group will be storing the fire truck and building a display case at department headquarters for smaller donations like vintage photos and badges.