History Comes Full Circle
In May 2025, the Tampa Firefighters Museum witnessed a moment frozen in time. Through our doors rolled a 1925 Seagrave fire truck—not just any apparatus, but a grand machine that once thundered through Ybor City's cobblestone streets, answering calls when Tampa was a younger, grittier city
Every inch of this magnificent machine tells a story: from its brass-work, now gleaming under loving restoration, to its sturdy wheels that once carried firefighters to aide residents in their darkest hours.
-
Built in September 1925 it was a factory demonstrator shown at the International Association of Fire Chiefs convention in Louisville, KY. In 1926 Mayor Perry G. Wall of Tampa, for whom this truck is named, purchased this truck. During that time frame all fire trucks were named for a local dignitary. When it went into service in Tampa it was painted blue with red wheels. The truck was painted red in the mid-1930s.
On the truck’s fuel tank is the number 13 indicating it was the thirteenth motorized apparatus purchased by the city. Horse drawn apparatus had been phased out about 1914.
The Seagrave operated from fire station 4 located on the corner of 9th Ave and 18th Street in Ybor City. The truck was taken out of front-line service in the early 1950s. It served as a reserve, a backup truck, for several years.
-
In 1957 the truck was purchased by a Charlie Hays, who planned to use the truck to water his orange groves. Hays plans were thwarted when he realized the truck only got 3 miles per gallon. When Hays passed away in 1968 his widow allowed Tampa Fire Captain Michael J. Morris to purchase the truck.
When Morris and his son John went to retrieve it from Charlie’s farm the truck was in poor condition. It had sat in a 3-sided barn open to the elements for several years. Even though there was a rattlesnake in the seat and rats in the engine, at Morris’ coaxing the truck’s engine turned over. Restoring and maintaining the truck was more than a passion for Morris. He often referred to the truck as his Alpha and Omega. Thanks to the skilled and dedicated hands of Morris the fully operational truck now performs all the tasks it was capable of doing in 1925. Over the years the truck was stored at his house in the Hillsdale area of Tampa. When Morris passed away in 2022 the truck went to his son John Morris.
This link goes to a video produced in 2014 that has Mike Morris talking about the 1925 Seagrave. https://tinyurl.com/seagrave
Thanks to the Morris family's thoughtful stewardship, John and his wife Susan along with their sons, Daniel and Thomas have ensured this magnificent truck will stand as a testament to firefighting heritage at the Tampa Firefighters Museum, where it will become a cornerstone of the museum’s permanent collection.
-
This link goes to a video produced in 2014 in which Mike Morris tells us the story behind the 1925 Seagrave.
-
Click here to donate and support the work of the Tampa Firefighters Museum;
Click the Seagrave picture to listen to the fascinating story shared by the restorer about the restoration process and the history behind this remarkable fire truck …
