The first recorded volunteer organization in New York City history, the Volunteer Fire Department of the City of New York established in 1737, were memorialized with a ceremony and a plaque near what had been its headquarters in Downtown Manhattan. The plaque was unveiled as part of the IYV2001 celebrations in New York. Peter Rothenberg, curator of The New York City Fire Museum, had on hand several artifacts or replicas representative of the early days of New York City's Volunteer Fire Department, including: a wooden rattle, the first fire alarm used to alert the community of a fire; a leather bucket used by early firefighters to get water to a fire; and a speaking trumpet through which the foreman of a fire company barked directions to the volunteer firefighters.