This newspaper clipping about the very exotic sounding “Velocipedequerade” from May 13, 1869, is the oldest item in our Peterborough collection. The Drill Shed is still in use today and is a national historic site also known as the Peterborough Amoury.
Transcribed from above:
As will be seen by reference to our advertising columns, a Grand Velocipede Masquerade Carnival will come off at the Drill Shed, Peterboro, on Friday evening, May 21st inst. We understand that the Shed will be prepared for the occasion, and a umber of new Machines added to those already in town; a jolly time is expected. Lovers of fun will thus have an opportunity for a few hours amusement. This is to be the only Carnival of the season. The Band of the 57th Battalion will be in attendance during the evening and discourse some lively music.
And from 1898…. our feature story about how Peterborough, Ontario, was the first city to host a provincial meet of the Canadian Wheelman’s Association. A huge event even by today’s standards, it was estimated that up to 7,000 people came to see the races and parade. High wheel bicycles – also called “ordinaries” and penny farthings – were all the rage. “Safety” bicycles – the ones we ride today – followed soon after, but for this brief period at the turn of the century there was a bicycle craze around the world and Peterborough was at the forefront of the Canadian contingent of this craze. Read more about this hallmark cycling event here. This news clipping (image of headline above) followed the July 1, 1898, event in the then-weekly Peterborough Examiner.
The Bicycle Museum would like to thank the Peterborough Museum and Archives’ staff researcher Jon Oldam and volunteer Ken Brown for their assistance in this research.
Thank you to everyone who attended our pop-up events at B!KE in November and at the Peterborough Public Library in December and January.
The Bicycle Museum 
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