SHELBY CYCLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Shelby, Ohio has a rich history in the production of bicycles, but it all began with a sewing machine salesman. Jonas Feighner persuaded Shelby businessmen and his boss at the New Home Sewing Machine Company in Cleveland to establish the first seamless tube factory in the U.S. in what was a crossroads of rural Ohio. At least six companies that made bicycles or parts would establish businesses in Shelby to be close to that source of steel.
The rest of the story is a testament to human perseverance in the face of the changing role of the bicycle, the Great Depression and World War II.
The Shelby Cycle Historical Society is dedicated to collecting and preserving the memory of the companies that comprised a vital part of Shelby’s significant source of commerce in the 20th Century.
OUR OBJECTIVES
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- To collect, preserve and protect records, bicycles, photos, and artifacts of interest concerning the history of Shelby bicycle industries.
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- To provide a place where benefactors may donate or loan items and collections for preservation and archival.
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- To provide a place where benefactors may give financial contributions for acquisition and restoration projects.
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- To research and gather historical data of the bicycle industry, and, in particular, Shelby bicycle history, to be filed for reference and made available to the public.
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- To provide education and outreach opportunities, in the form of: talks, symposiums, temporary and permanent displays; creation and maintenance of a website and social media; as well as to maintain a physical and online research library.
- To restore, preserve and protect examples of Shelby bicycles and other artifacts of interest.