Mission Statement:

To reflect the unity of the historic Black Springs community and its volunteer fire department by promoting the cultures & history of our local firefighters.

 Sharing the experiences of the unsung in Northern Nevada is our mission and we are excited to announce the opening of our Northern Nevada African American Firefighter Museum (NNAAFM) which will be housed in the historic Black Springs Volunteer Fire Department building located at on Kennedy Drive in the Grandview Terrace area North of Reno in a small community known by some as Black Springs. Our Story, Inc. is honored to help tell the story of a small unsung fire department that did big things for the North Valleys Community!

From 1950s to the 1980s this community consisted of folks who created opportunities for themselves through hard work, tenacious appeals for equal access to public help, and fighting for civil rights.  Because of their perseverance then the  Black Springs community now has sewer services, electrical services, its own well, paved roads and for a time its own fire department which was housed in the building OSI will use for the NNAAFM.

We would like to extend a huge thank you to Washoe County and Washoe County Parks & Rec for helping to make this possible. Also thank you to the hard working volunteers who have painted, cleaned, scraped, built and carried to make this building into a museum.  And thank you to the donors who have helped by providing funding and artifacts. Without all of you this museum would not be possible.

The museum exhibits will honor the service of firefighters in our community, share the story of William Lobster who is possibly the first African American Fire Chief in Nevada, tell the stories of the people who built this structure that served the North Valleys and celebrate the contributions of African Americans that help make our Northern Nevada community what it is today.

Visit nnaafm.org for more information.