Bill's Old Bike Barn facts for kids
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Main room, 2011
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| Established | 1999 |
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| Location | 7145 Columbia Blvd, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, US |
| Owner | William Morris |
| Nearest car park | On site (no charge) |
Bill's Old Bike Barn and Museum is a super cool place in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. It's a museum filled with old motorcycles and lots of interesting items from American history and culture. William Morris opened it in 1998. He wanted a home for his huge collection of nearly 200 old motorcycles and other unique vintage things.
Contents
How It All Started
William Morris loved motorcycles from a young age. He worked for a Harley-Davidson dealer first. In 1970, he opened his own shop called Bill's Custom Cycles. It was near Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania.
Growing the Collection
His shop sold parts for special custom motorcycles. When Harley-Davidson had tough times, many dealerships closed. William bought all their leftover parts and bikes. He saved many rare bikes and parts this way. His first special bike was a 1928 Harley. He bought it for only about $20! When Harley-Davidson became popular again, William sold his old parts and made a profit.
From Shop to Museum
At first, William displayed his growing collection at his shop. He had so many Harley-Davidson signs that the company asked him to take them down! This, plus needing more space, gave him the idea for a separate museum. It opened in 1998 with just one room.
William, along with Judi Laubach and friends, bought four old barns. These barns were from the 1800s and were in the Bloomsburg area. They carefully took them apart and rebuilt them inside a large metal building. This new building was on a hill behind his shop. A friend named Baltzer J. Pisak helped restore many bikes and set up the first displays. William also started collecting items from Europe.
Billville: A Town Inside
The museum grew even bigger with a special area called "Billville." This is like an indoor street with fake storefronts. The whole museum now covers over 50,000 square feet!
What You Can See
The museum has almost 200 antique motorcycles. You can see very old bikes like a 1909 Peugeot and a 1913 Harley-Davidson Silent Grey Fellow. There are also unusual vehicles, such as a World War II Kettenkrad (a half-track motorcycle) and a 1961 Moto Guzzi motorcycle dump truck. You can even find a Harley-Davidson snowmobile! The displays also include motorcycle and military items.
More Than Just Bikes
Bill's Old Bike Barn is not just about motorcycles. It's also a huge collection of "Americana." This means it shows many cool things from American history and culture. People have called it "a tremendous display of bikes, collectibles, and other stuff that just caught their fancy."
Inside "Billville," you can explore a complete barbershop and a shoe shop. These were bought from real businesses! There's also a pretend bar, a fire station, and a tobacco shop. Other interesting collections include items from the 1939 World's Fair and Elvis Presley memorabilia. You can also see old toys, cameras, and telephones. It's like stepping back in time!
