Old Town’s first fire motorized truck will have its new home soon.

The truck, a 1917 Garford, helped protect the lives and properties of the citizens of Old Town for decades. However, it eventually was traded in for a newer model; soon, its whereabouts were unknown. It appeared a piece of local history was lost forever.

But in 1987 Maine State Fire Marshall Stu Jacobs was conducting an investigation in the woods of Bridgton and stumbled upon the remains of a fire truck with the lettering “OTFD” on its hood and the word “Garford” on its front bumper. The truck then was painstakingly restored over the next five years; it then spent years at the Hose 5 Fire Museum in Bangor.

In 2016, current and former members of the Old Town Fire Department, acting as the Garford Committee, started fundraising to construct a permanent building for the truck at the Old Town public safety building. In 2017, the Garford was brought to Old Town.

Funds were raised, and a foundation recently was laid for the Garford building, which will be a replica of its first home, by city employees. Last Thursday and Friday, students from UMaine’s Construction Engineering Technology Program lend a hand, putting up the walls and roof.

Over the next few weeks, staff from public works will side and insulate the building. If plans hold, the Garford will be in its new home by Memorial Day.