One of the buildings in the Carillon Historical Park in Dayton, Ohio is the Dayton Cyclery. In 1892, the Davis Sewing Machine Company (which would later become the Dayton-based Huffy Corporation) began manufacturing bicycles.
According to the display:
“In the mid-w1800s, the high-wheel bicycle was popular, but dangerous to ride. Only the young and fit dared to take it on. The introduction of the ‘safety’ bicycle in the late 1880s changed all that. With wheels of equal size, it was much easier and safer to ride. Soon everyone was taking up the sport of bike riding.”
According to another display:
“The bicycle’s success in transportation and recreation led to social and technological change. At the same time, Miami Valley bicycle makers rose to the forefront of production and innovation.”
According to the display:
“The Cygnet gets its name from its unusual swanlike frame with a netting guard to prevent flowing skirts from getting entangled in the chain and spokes. The frame was built to provide a smoother, comfortable ride. The Stoddard Manufacturing Company, a major producer of farm implements and automobiles, made bicycles only a short time, from 1895 to 1899.”
More museum exhibit photo tours
Ohio Village: Bicycle shop (photo diary)
Carillon Historical Park: A Shaker building (photo diary)
Museums 101: Furniture (photo diary)
Museums 101: Wenatchee General Store (photo diary)
Museums 101: The Big House at Fort Vancouver (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Model railroad in Wallace, Idaho (photo diary)
Museums 101: Railroad Handcars and Motorcars (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Buckaroos (Photo Diary)