History returned to BCFD

BALTIMORE - It's an antique that carries its weight in worth, but perhaps more valuable is how it came to the possession of the Baltimore City Fire Department.

After nearly 70 years, a piece of history was returned to the department Wednesday.

The antique 1937 hand-made wooden replica of a fire truck is believed to have been made by a Baltimore firefighter in the late 1930s to early 1940s

PHOTOS | History returned to BCFD

The truck was in Charleston, South Carolina for several years with its owner, John Ferrera. It was won by Ferrera's sister during a raffle at a Baltimore catholic school.

After deciding to move into a nursing home, Mr. Ferrera arranged for his belongings to be moved from his home by 1-800-GOT-JUNK.  Of his most prized possessions was the antique fire truck which he struggled to part with.  1-800-GOT-JUNK promised to find the perfect home.

Alan Klug, a Baltimore Franchise owner of 1-800-GOT-JUNK made the formal presentation of the antique 1937 Circa 5' hand-made wooden fire truck. He said returning such items to their rightful homes is the goal of the company.

"Every piece of junk has a story behind it," he said. "Some are a lot more interesting than others. This happens to be one of those items."

While the truck is believed to have a heavy price tag, Klug said returning it to Baltimore was a much more valuable act.

"Priceless when it comes to getting such an item of value back to its rightful owner," he said. "...It was fairly easy for us to make the connection from Charleston to Baltimore  and then handle the item from there."

The presentation that took place at the fire department's headquarters at 401 E. Fayette Street garnered applause, smiling faces, oohs and aahs.

"This is the exciting part of the job," Klug said. "When we find cool and interesting stuff and we can make something happen with it..."