Boyertown, PA
June, 2017
Boyertown is about seven miles north of Pottstown. Jim had of course been there many times, but I had only driven through once or twice. It is a pretty little town. We found a bed and breakfast place to stay within walking distance of a couple of the reunion activities. We drove up the day before the first reunion gathering so we had the morning to explore the town. The tail end of hurricane Cindy made the morning a bit drippy, but it didn't slow us down.
One of Jim's classmates was also staying at the same B&B. We enjoyed chatting with him and his wife over breakfast.
The B&B was called the Twin Turrets for obvious reasons. It was a lovely old home. I wish we traveled to Boyertown more often just to visit there.
Our room included the turret on the far side. It was a fabulous place to sit and read while sipping wine.
The mascot of the Boyertown High School is the bear. The town is proud of its bears! There were numerous bear installations, all different, throughout the downtown area. This one was located just in front of our lodging.
In our breakfast conversation with other guests (one of the benefits of a B&B) we got a must-see recommendation for the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles. It was a must-see indeed! Who knew that in the early days of automobiles, it wasn't Detroit that was "Motown." Pennsylvania was a hotbed of transportation development.
The museum is located in the former factory of the Boyertown Auto Body Works. The business began in 1872 as Boyertown Carriage Works and continued in operation under various owners until 1990. The museum was founded by the Hafer family, who operated the Body Works for many years.
Exhibits ranged from an early, but atypical, Sun Oil (Sunoco) gas station, complete with two Fry Visible Gas Pumps, next to an early Model-T based tow truck, to ...
The original Fegley's Reading Diner, to ...
An original one-owner 1958 Mister Softee Ice Cream Truck (built by Boyertown Auto Body Works), to ...
A racing motorcycle/side-car combination. The Flexi leaning side-car leaned as the cycle banked around a corner. In this version, the side-car rider lay down with his head toward the back of the vehicle. You can see the pillow at the rear. It wouldn't be an opportunity that I would volunteer for! The side-car could be attached to any of a number of brands of cycles, this is an Ace motorcycle.
The name of the company is variously spelled "Flexi" and "Flxi." It is not related to the Flexible Flyer sled brand (although it also originated in the Philadelphia area).
The picture at the above link shows a more typical side-car design attached to a Harley. This auction site shows the side-car bracket design that allowed it to lean.
Another bear sculpture was located at the Volunteer Fire Department near the museum. This bingo-playing bear was dedicated to one of the members of the ladies' auxiliary on the occasion of their 50th anniversary. I couldn't resist the pink toenails (and fingernails).
The Boyertown Hook & Ladder, or "Hookies," have a bar & grill to raise money. It is open to the public and was one of the venues visited by some of our fellow reunioners.
This bear had a traditional Pennsylvania Dutch theme.
We had a wonderful morning wandering around the well-preserved downtown. The rain wore itself out in the morning so that our afternoon adventures with the reunion were dry and occasionally even sunny!
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