Tag Archive | rockville motorcycle era
March 13, 2021  

Rockville’s Park Avenue Motorcycle Club, 1912

Park Ave Motorcycle Club, 1912

First motorcycle club in Rockville, Maryland. One Harley Davidson, one Indian, and Three Excelsior motorcycles on Park Avenue, 1912. Lewis Reed, far left.

Take a step back in time with this glimpse into an almost forgotten era of Montgomery County history in the early 20th century… the motorcycle era.

Motorcycle clubs began forming in the early 1900s as manufacturers stressed the social, sporting, and healthy outdoors potential of the motorcycle. Both Lewis and Edgar Reed, along with brother-in-law Bernard Hanshew, began their riding adventures with a group of friends from the Park Avenue community in Rockville in the early 1900s.

Historically, riding motorized bikes, like horses, began as a gentleman’s sport. In the early days of motorcycling, propriety dictated that a gentleman be presentable when he went out for a spin. Full-length boots derived from horseback riding and a sporty cap with goggles were adapted to the new pursuit of motorcycle riding.

Park Ave Motorcycle Club 1912

On Park Avenue, ca. 1912. L-R: “Happy” Hicks, Lewis and Edgar Reed, Frank Higgins, and Alvin Luctor.

Lewis and Edgar Reed

Lewis (back) & Edgar Reed

Early motorcyclists were often pictured in riding groups. From its beginnings, motorcycling developed very much as a social activity. Gentlemen of the day often used it to spice up their sunny weekends and impress ladies.

Motorcyclists on Rt 118 in Darnestown

The Reed motorcycle gang on Rt 118 in Darnestown.

Edgar Reed

Edgar Reed and an unidentified lady on an Excelsior motorcycle.

Motorcyclists on Rt 118 in Darnestown

Motorcyclists on Rt 118 in Darnestown. Edgar Reed, middle

Early 20th century motorcycle club

Left – right: Lewis Reed with camera, Edgar Reed, Bernard Hanshew. The photo was taken 1914 in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia. The wooden frame Victorian-style train station dating from 1889 can be seen in the background.

Reed Motorcycle Club, 1912

Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, 1914

Adventurers, enthusiasts, friends, and family… these are the pioneers of Montgomery County who made riding a social pastime, which has carried on in motorcycle travel today. Ultimately, for adventurous spirits exploring rural Maryland in the 1910s, the motorcycle meant freedom. Many of Lewis Reed’s photographs would not exist without it.