A piece of history will soon make a way back to its home in Hogansville. 

A 1953 Ford F600/Pirsch pumper fire truck from decades ago was retired and put into storage after the engine froze. Hogansville City Manager David Milliron said the city had no idea that it even existed. 

“The mayor and I were at the Hogansville Fire Department meeting with Vicki Brown, a tourism liaison from the chamber, where we were measuring to install a new hummingbird,” Milliron said. “We were just chatting with fire personal when out of the blue a fireman mentioned that the fire truck and was wondering when it would get restored.” 

After asking questions and making a few calls, Milliron and Mayor Bill Stankiewicz were able to locate where the vintage fire truck was being stored. 

“We are now making arrangements to get it back home,” Milliron said. 

The truck been stored at the Troup County Fire Department’s Rosemont Station No. 5 for years but will soon make its way back to its city. 

“Originally, when we found out it existed, we were just stunned,” Stankiewicz said. “I had heard stories about one of our fire trucks floating around Troup County but never really knew.”

Milliron said city officials are hoping to raise money to restore the pumper to its original beauty. 

Slowly history is being threaded together to find out more about the truck. 

“I have reached out and found some of the folks who used to operate the trucked,” Milliron said. “When it went down and they relocated it, it looks like it was the coldest day in Hogansville history.”

Milliron said they want to capture the homecoming of the truck and will follow its restoration process. 

“I’m making a file document with all the history,” Milliron said. “The community support has been overwhelming.” 

Ideas are already being formed on what the truck can be for the city, aside from a history statement. 

“It can grow a lot of pride in Hogansville, and we can already see Santa riding the streets,” Milliron said. “For all of us, it is a proud moment.”

Stankiewicz said it only took a few phones calls to actually hear officially that they could have the truck. 

“We are just so excited and sat around for a while brainstorming idea on what we could do with it,” Stankiewicz said. 

The operating condition is currently unknown, but Stankiewicz said it should not cost too much to restore it.