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The Woodside Community Museum has opened its newest exhibit celebrating 100 years of the Woodside Fire Protection District. Volunteers on the History Committee have been preparing for the opening for two years.
Panels in the museum tell the story of Woodside Fire’s formation in the 1920s and follow its evolution to the modern-day work firefighters and paramedics are doing today with high-tech equipment.
The first fire station was built on a vacant lot at 2991 Woodside Road, where the Firehouse Bistro currently stands. Antone Davis was appointed the first fire chief in 1926.
The exhibit honors longtime fire chief John Volpiano, who served from 1932 to 1973. At the age of 23, he became the youngest fire chief in California history. Volpiano was known for leading the fire district through its transition into the modern era of firefighting.
Under his leadership, Woodside Fire expanded to three stations across Woodside, Portola Valley and Emerald Hills.
The museum also features a list of major fires that have burned in Woodside, including the 1859 lumber mills fire that destroyed 40,000 feet of lumber and multiple mills, resulting in $30,000 in losses.
Notable fires over the last few decades include the burning of the Morshead Estate in 1973, the 1992 arson fires, the destruction of Woodside Elementary in 1993, the Albion Fire in 2002 and the 2003 3-alarm fire that damaged two homes in Portola Valley.
Woodside native and exhibit committee member Lisha Mainz said she remembers how frightening the arson fires were. During the summer and fall of 1992, several fires were set in Woodside, Portola Valley and Emerald Hills by a local tree-cutter who was later apprehended, according to the exhibit.
Woodside Fire dates back to 1924, when Woodside residents James Neuman, Selah Chamberlain Sr. and Portola Valley resident Standley Morshead, petitioned the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors to create the fire district. The district was officially formed in 1925 and the three petitioners became its first commissioners.
Across the museum, visitors can also view old artifacts donated by the fire department and families of former fire chiefs, including a log book from 1932, Volpiano’s white fire chief hat and a melted emblem from a fire engine.
Display cases also showcase retired fire Chief Mike Fuge’s customized helmet with a painting of a cartoon surfer riding a wave and a commemorative axe presented in honor of his 14 years of service. Fuge was the fire chief from 1992 to 2006.
On Oct. 25, the Woodside History Committee invited guests and firefighters to an exclusive opening of the exhibit. Woodside Fire celebrated its 100th anniversary in March 2025 with the grand opening of Station 7 on Woodside Road, which took 12 years to complete.
The exhibit committee spent hours researching and creating the exhibit, which they said is expected to be open for a few years. The committee members are Mainz, Thalia Lubin, Di Qiu, Gretchen Tenenbaum and archivist Jeanne Thivierge.
Visitors can see the exhibit on the first and third Saturday of each month, from 1 to 3 p.m. starting on Nov. 7 at the Woodside Community Museum, 2961 Woodside Road in Woodside.
