INDIANAPOLIS — A new exhibit honoring one of the greatest cyclists of all time, Major Taylor, opened at the Indiana State Museum over the weekend. Taylor, who was born in Indianapolis, was a decorated champion in the sport, as well as an inventor.
"With this exhibit, we are really able to dig deeper and tell a much more detailed story," said Kisha Tandy, curator of social history at the Indiana State Museum. "We are actually able to highlight and have out for visitors to see one of his bikes, and that is something that hopefully will enhance the experience for the visitors."
The bicycle on display in the exhibit is the only one in existence that can be traced back to Taylor. It's on loan from the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame in Davis, California.
"His story is so inspirational," Tandy said. "I think that as visitors come in, they can learn a lot about Major. They can learn a lot about history of the bicycle craze here in Indianapolis during the 1890s, and they can also learn about the bike. I just hope that when they leave that they leave knowing that Major Taylor was a remarkable athlete."
The Indiana State Museum has housed the Major Taylor collection since 1988 after it was donated by his daughter. It includes scrapbooks, trophies, photographs, letters, postcards and a mail bag.
"We really wanted to show off Major Taylor's story, but also a little bit of cycling," said Brian Mancuso, chief officer of engagement at the Indiana State Museum. "If you're interested in cycling, we want to bring you in on that story. We also want to bring you in on the story of modern relevance, why we should still think about Major Taylor today. Why his story is still relevant and exciting and inspirational for a lot of modern riders."
The Major Taylor exhibit will run through Oct. 23 and is free with paid museum admission.