Like in many small towns across America, the local fire company is often tightly linked to a town's history. So too is the case of the West Grove Fire Company and the Borough of West Grove. Recognizing that, the WGFC held its September meeting in the West Grove History Center, a museum dedicated to the history of our community.

Founded by local historian R. Scott Steele in 2023, the History Center sits on at the top of the hill on Prospect Avenue and is filled with memorabilia and photos from West Grove's history. Among the artifacts are photos and items tied to the WGFC's history, including photos of famous fires, an original radio base station from the firehouse, and copies of the WGFC Bylaws from 1904. As an example of how the fire company is tied to the Borough's history, Scott explains how the fire company owned and ran the West Grove movie theatre for many years -- the theatre used to occupy the lot on Exchange Place at Evergreen Street where the town's memorial garden now sits.

Scott was the author of the fire company's history book, and gave a short presentation on the history of West Grove after President Neil Vaughn formally brought the September fire company meeting to order, with 40+ members of the fire company present to explore the museum and learn more about the community we serve as its fire company.

We thank Scott Steele for the invitation to meet in the History Center and encourage everyone to visit and learn more about West Grove's rich history.