On April 25, 2013, the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles opened its newest exhibit, On Merit Alone: The Story of Acme.  Using two late 19th century bicycles and two brass era automobiles, the exhibit traces the history of the Acme Manufacturing Company, builder of bicycles, to the Acme Motor Car Company and later the S.G.V. Company, both of which built fine automobiles.  The company’s factories were located at North Eighth and Elm Streets in Reading, Pennsylvania.  Typical of the era, Acme tried to modernize after building bicycles to the motorized era, and succeeded for a few years before selling to the S.G.V. Company, which dissolved a few years later.

More than just a company history, On Merit Alone: The Story of Acme also focuses on Acme’s role in early automobile racing.  A form of advertisement, races were used by early car companies, including Acme, as a way to market and prove the reliability and endurance of their product.  Another focus of the exhibit is the effect bicycles and bicycling had on the women’s rights movement.  A women’s model Acme bicycle model will be on display, and will be used to demonstrate how women were able use the bicycle as a means to buck strict Victorian traditions and ideals.

The Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles is pleased to welcome into its collection of vehicles a ca.1827 Conestoga wagon built in Berks County, Pennsylvania.  This impressive artifact from our country’s earlier years was used to transport grain from Berks County to Philadelphia, making a stop at Reading stores on the return trip to drop off merchandise purchased in the big city.  Conestoga wagons such as this one were the main freight haulers in the days before trucking.

Though the Conestoga wagon has been on display at the Museum for many years, it was not actually part of the Museum’s collection.  It was here on loan from the Historical Society of Berks County, which recently deaccessioned the Conestoga wagon.  The Museum has been fortunate enough to attain it and make it a part of its collection, where it can continue educating visitors about life and commerce right here in Berks County.

The Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day Live! event returns to the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles, offering free admission to Museum Day Live! ticketholders on September 28, 2013.

The Museum Day Live! Ticket will be available to download beginning in August at Smithsonian.com/museumday. Visitors who present the Museum Day Live! Ticket will gain free entrance for two at participating venues for one day only. One ticket is permitted per household, per email address. For more information about Museum Day Live! 2013 and a list of participating museums and cultural institutions, please visit Smithsonian.com/museumday.

The Blue Star Museums program returns to the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles, offering free admission to active-duty military personnel and their families through Labor Day.

Blue Star Museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment of the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense and more than 1,800 museums across America. First launched in the summer of 2010, Blue Star Museums offers free admission to all active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day, May 27, through Labor Day, September 2, 2013.

Leadership support has been provided by MetLife Foundation through Blue Star Families.

Boyertown Museum Website Launched

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