Collection: Transportation
Accession #: 2009.14.1
Source: Gift of the Grand Rapids Police Department

This 1988 Harley-Davidson motorcycle is one of the most impressive recent additions to the Public Museum’s collection. Harley-Davidson has been manufacturing police motorcycles like this model with powerful V-Twin engines, sturdy frames, heavy-duty shocks, and of course sirens and flashing lights, for over 100 years.  In fact, “the first Harley-Davidson police motorcycle was delivered to the Detroit Police Department in 1908.” Grand Rapids put police officers on Harleys by 1917.

Police Motorcycles and Harley-Davidson: A Short History

The 1988 bike’s flashing blue lights guided thousands of visitors into the Memory Diner during the 2008 WHODUNIT! exhibit run.  After the murder mystery exhibit closed, the Public Museum asked the Police Department if they would be willing to turn the temporary loan of the Harley into a permanent gift, as the motorcycle had been such a hit with Museum visitors.  The Police Department agreed, and the rest is, literally, history!

Now, as part of the Public Museum’s Permanent Collection, the Harley-Davidson Police Motorcycle will be accessible to future generations of visitors as a tangible object which tells the story of law enforcement in Grand Rapids.  Motorcycles offer law enforcement personnel numerous advantages over traditional police cars because of their small size, high speed, and excellent maneuverability.  This particular motorcycle was used by the Grand Rapids Police Department for regular law enforcement duties during the 1990s and early 2000s.

Related Items at the Public Museum:
193968 – Motorbike, Indian, c. 1913
124293 – Photograph, Motorcycle Squad, Grand Rapids Police Department, 1917
1983.76.11 – Motorcycle Toy

Collection Tags: police, motorcycle, Grand Rapids, Harley-Davidson, permanent collection, new acquisitions, exhibit, WHODUNIT
- Alex Forist, Associate Curator of Collections

DINOSAURS: Just Imagine! opened February 21 – as we are almost a month into the exhibit run I think it is safe to say that the exhibit is a success! A HUGE Thank You to everyone who has helped spread the word.  If you haven’t been able to make it-don’t worry, there’s still time! The exhibit is open through May 25 with special evening hours March 16-20, April 6-10 and May 4-7.

Exhibit admission is $2 in addition to general admission (Members are free!) If you choose to visit on one of our special DINOSAUR Discovery Nights, sponsored by the GR Jaycees Foundation, you can purchase an all-inclusive pass for Museum admission, a pizza meal, exhibit admission, planetarium show and carousel rides – all for $10! ($5 for Members).

Enjoy!

McKenzie (6) and Isabella (2) of Greenville get up close to a dinosaur during the installation of DINOSAURS: Just Imagine! at The Public Museum. The exhibit opens to the public February 21.

Isabella (2) and her father, Jarrod, watch the installation process for DINOSAURS: Just Imagine! which opens February 21 at The Public Museum.

Thank you to all the groups and organizations that participated in the DTE Ethnic Heritage Festival this past Saturday! Check out a photo recap or share your photos and leave comments on our facebook page!

Photo courtesy of Grand Rapids History & Special Collections Archives, Grand Rapids Public Library, Grand Rapids, MI.

If you’re like me-a Baby Boomer who grew up in Grand Rapids-I suspect you’ll be as excited as I am to once again see the Herp’s Train!

The Museum was entrusted with this local history icon by City Centre owner Peter Secchia in 2000 when the old Herpolsheimer’s Department Store building was renovated to become the new Grand Rapids Police Department. As part of the salvage operation team, I was on site at the start of demolition. You can imagine how tickled I was when asked if I wanted to “take one last spin” around the monorail loop before the train was dismantled for the move to the Museum. What can I say-it was a blast!

When I boarded the train that day I instantly recalled how it felt to be inside it as a kid in the late 1950’s when my sister and I would take a spin around the Toy Department before stopping to see Santa. I remembered lacing my much smaller fingers through the window wires and straining to catch a glimpse of my mom below. I know others share similar memories.

The train made its inaugural run in 1949 as the Santa Express. It was approximately 33′ long and each of its three cars held 8 smiling riders. In the 1960’s during the space race the train got a new identity as the Rocket Express. In 1976-with a coat of yellow paint and the addition of a face and glasses-it was dubbed the Caterpillar Express. It changed one last time in the 1980’s as part of Mackie’s World Children’s Mall and wore a new jungle motif and moniker, the Dino Express.

Museum visitors will be able to see this special community treasure on display in the lobby from November 22 to January 4. You can climb aboard to relive your own childhood memories and make new ones with your families!

P.S. If you’re a former rider, please contact us. We’d love to collect your old train photos or home movies and keep them preserved at the Public Museum right along with the train itself! We invite you to share your story by commenting right here on our blog!

-Marilyn Merdzinski, Curator of Collections & Preservation