bamabikeguy
Active Member
Rif,
The museum got some press yesterday:
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2007/08/26/this_day/news04.txt
The museum got some press yesterday:
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2007/08/26/this_day/news04.txt
Ride into the past at Chehalis area museums
By Brenda Blevins McCorkle
Aug 25, 2007 - 10:17:15 pm PDT
The road between two eras is less than two hours away.
In Lewis County, four area natives --- Frank and Barbara Mason of Chehalis and **** and Barbara Busek of Galvin --- have revved up two museums, one devoted to pre-1916 motorcycles and the other to Model T and Model A Fords.
Each location follows a theme, with distractions to delight the imaginations of visitors. In other words, it's a trip.
The Masons, both of whom graduated from Adna High School west of Chehalis, opened the museum after renovating a building called The Hotel Washington. The couple bought the property in 1997 after a fire nearly destroyed the 1889 structure.
"The owner had decided not to rebuild or restore it, and it was going to be torn down for a parking lot," Barbara said. "Frank and I are into historic preservation of buildings downtown, so we thought, 'Let's take this on.' "
With its vintage brick facade and elegant red awning, the hotel at first housed retail spaces and a rental venue for weddings and parties.
The Masons, who work in the construction industry, also located their office there. "Then all of a sudden, it clicked with us," Barbara said. "This would be a great place for a museum."
If you go
If you go
- The Vintage Motorcycle Museum is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays or by appointment. To schedule a visit, call (360) 748-3472.
The museum is located at 545 N. Market Blvd., Chehalis. Admission is $5.
- The Buseks open their vintage auto museum on an appointment basis only. Best times are Sunday through Wednesday and admission is free. Call (360) 736-3883.
The Buseks plan an open house in late September, but a firm date has not been set.
At the time, Frank's collection of motorcycles, motorized bikes and regular bicycles was crammed into another downtown Chehalis building, with no access to the public. The couple wanted to share the hobby that has been Frank's passion since the late 1970s.
Soon they opened the doors to the two-story Vintage Motorcycle Museum.
With obscure names such as Thomas, Pierce, Emblem and others on display, the museum is a favorite among the regional antique motorcycle collecting clubs. Some enthusiasts have traveled from the East Coast, California and Canada to visit.
During a recent visit by the Evergreen (Seattle-area) and Oregon Trail (Portland/Salem) chapters of the club, members swarmed the museum.
Upstairs, two rows of elderly bikes rest on their kick stands. Beneath each, an aluminum pan catches accidental drips of oil.
"They have diapers," Barbara said, smiling.
At the turn of the century, more than 100 brands of American-made motorcycles zoomed about the countryside,
"Then, of course, the motorcycle sold for about the same as the first automobile," Barbara said. "So, of course, people figured they needed to get an automobile for their families."
Out went the sidecar and in came the more comfortable and roomy Model T. Gradually the smaller bike makers folded, Frank said, leaving behind Indian and Harley-Davidson. In the early 1950s, the makers of Indians also fell, leaving the Harley as the lone wolf.
That's why the pre-1916 bikes are as sought after as precious gems, he added. Rarity.
Collectors keep vintage bikes alive
Some of these bikes tell a story. Like the one that was found behind a jewelry store in Everett. The original owner of the store had bought the cycle in 1914. He added a seat on the back for his wife, then blew a tire on the single-speed bike.
"When they came out with a three-speed in 1915, he decided that, with his wife on the back, the stronger speed would be better," Barbara said.
When the jeweler went to trade the bike in, the dealership didn't offer him enough money. So he just parked it.
"Everything is original on it," Barbara said. "It is quite a find. And to have the original story on it is wonderful too. That's so important."
Frank began collecting after a friend took him on a tour, riding pre-1916 bikes down to California.
"I so enjoyed it that I got interested in all the American-made motorcycles," he said. "They intrigued me. The mechanics of them and the going down the road, pop, pop, pop."
His collection ranges from a 1900 Thomas, which is nothing more than a bicycle with an engine on it, to 1915 Indian with sidecar.
"After about 1915, the motorcycle got to be bigger, with bigger engines," he said. "That's what makes the earlier ones unique."
At the time Frank began collecting, the riding tours were also common. Not so much now. "Everybody is afraid to ride them, afraid of tearing them up," he said.
But looking doesn't wear anything out.
One of the highlights of Frank's collection is an Imp cycle-car. "There are only seven of those that exist today," he said.
The circa 1914 vehicle has a motorcycle engine, cycle wheels and belt drive.
"They were popular because they were economical. You could put two passengers in there," he said. "Then Henry Ford came out with the Model T and that put those people out of business."
Not all the cycles are pre-1916. Frank also boasts a sizeable gathering of bikes and motorcycles from 1916 to 2000. In a prominent position on the first floor, a display revolves around a 1940 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead police bike.
"That belonged to a King County sheriff," Frank said. "That was his original uniform, gloves, badge, even his original ticket book."
Barbara and an assistant escort visitors around the museum. Patrons enter from the second floor, through the Masons' office. Frank, who still is active in the construction business, sometimes acts as tour guide on the weekends.
"I come back when there's groups or car clubs that want to come through," he said. "We have a good time visiting with the different collectors and such."
He said he enjoys watching people's faces as they learn that there's more to American motorcycles than the iconic Harleys.
"That's the part that amazes most people," he said. "All those other makers ---- some of them only lasted five years, some of them 10 years in business."
The next era takes over
For motorcycle or car enthusiasts, the two museums seem to fit almost seamlessly together --- a logical progression from two wheels to four.
It was never intended that way, Barbara Busek of Galvin said. Her husband, ****, has been collecting cars since he retired six years ago. Their museum consists of the original service station on the corner and a new 40-by-85-foot building that the couple built.
On the same day that the motorcycle clubs gathered for lunch and kinship at the motorcycle museum in Chehalis, they trekked to Galvin, about eight and a half miles northeast of town.
Galvin's a small place, but the collection that **** Busek has amassed doesn't reflect the berg's population.
"It's all Fords, except for one 1966 Dodge," Barbara added. "It's trucks and cars from 1915 to 1966."
The new building houses about 25 vehicles, about half of the couple's car collection. "People drop things off for him," Barbara said. "He gets a lot of cars that way."
A favorite is a Model T used in the Kevin Costner film, "The Untouchables." It was featured in a shoot-out scene that took place on a bridge. "I purchased it through a fellow in Olympia," **** said
Going along with the Prohibition-era theme, the couple also bought some copper stills, which they perch atop a couple of the cars.
The idea that such a setup would allow moonshiners to make booze and stage a quick getaway wouldn't be quite true to history, Barbara pointed out.
"They actually had special cars, and they'd put it in the tanks and stuff," she said. "And they'd run it, and the revenuers and police would be after them."
****'s collecting didn't start in earnest until recently, but he said he's had vintage cars all his life. Standing outside the museum enjoying the breezy afternoon, **** pointed to a rustic car just inside the doorway.
"This car here, and that red one on the far end, I had when I was 16," he said.
Born and raised on a farm in Galvin, it seemed only logical that when the property became available, he would buy the town's old service station, as well as the blacksmith shop and church.
"I have cars in there too," he said, grinning. "I'm always on the hunt for another one. And I never sell any."
Barbara Busek enjoys having the museum, but especially appreciates the satisfaction her husband gets out of it. "He likes it because he can show it to people," she said. "He just likes his cars."
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