By 1812BLockhouse
Years of dreaming, planning, and hard work are coming together next Saturday in the opening of Richland County’s newest museum.
Civic leaders in Shelby have announced that the new Shelby Bicycle Museum will be opening on July 9 near the site of the original Shelby Cylce factory, more specifically in the Shelby Justice Center on Mack Avenue.
It’s a timely opening, as this year marks the centennial of the launch of the Shelby Cycle Frame Builders, which went on to become the Shelby Cycle Company.
The Shelby Cycle Company produced a model in 1928 with a Lindbergh theme called the “Lindy Flyer”, and they were responsible for the Donald Duck bicycles in the 1950s. Shelby also made bicycles for other retailers such as Montgomery Ward, Spiegel, Gambles stores, Firestone and Goodyear.
The legacy of bicycles in Shelby predates the Shelby Cycle Company, as the Shelby Bicyle Company was in operation from 1895 until 1901 or 1902.
According to the Museum, Shelby bicycle collector Stan Cain and Shelby Police Chief Lance Combs envisioned a bicycle museum which would be open anytime for families to bring children and out-of-town guests; hIstorian Christina Yetzer Drain provided the research about the bicycle companies as well as the factories that were housed in the building before the cycle factory; and Seltzer descendant Scott Moehring who brought the history to life through his designs.
The Shelby Cycle Historical Society received a grant from Ohio Humanities to create the interactive museum in the Shelby Justice Center. The $29,000 grant includes more than $10,000 of volunteer research time, as well as $5,000 to purchase a display case, bicycle racks, and interpretive panels and murals.
For more information, visit the Museum website.
Sources: Shelby Bicycle Museum, Wikipedia
