Anamosa's National Motorcycle Museum to close, auction collection, after financial struggles

From Des Moines Register staff
·2 min read
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After nearly 22 years in Anamosa, the National Motorcycle Museum announced in a Facebook posting Sunday that it will close in September and auction off much of its collection.

The closure will come about 5 1/2 years after the death of museum co-founder John Parham following a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis. His widow, Jill, is chair of the museum's nonprofit board, which said in a news release that the decision to close came after several years of struggling to cover the cost of wages and utilities, "partly due to low visitation."

John Parham in 1979 founded and with his wife ran J&P Cycles, an Anamosa national motorcycle parts company now helmed by their son, Zach. The company runs a pop-up store annually in Sturgis, South Dakota, during that city's world-famous motorcycle rally, and in 2001 moved the museum from Sturgis, where it had operated for 12 years, to Anamosa.

Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson speaks with reporters at the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016, after holding a town hall.
Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson speaks with reporters at the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016, after holding a town hall.

It initially thrived there in a downtown location. In 2010, it moved to a far larger location on the outskirts of the city. It displays a wide variety of historic motorcycles as well as memorabilia and bicycles.

Previously:Honoring 2 sisters' cross-country 1916 motorcycle trek

It has been the site over the years of visits by presidential candidates both Republican and Democratic during the leadup to the Iowa caucuses.

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry rides a then-new 2003 100th Anniversary Edition Harley-Davidson V-Rod in Anamosa. He was given the chance to ride the bike while speaking at the National Motorcycle Museum.
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry rides a then-new 2003 100th Anniversary Edition Harley-Davidson V-Rod in Anamosa. He was given the chance to ride the bike while speaking at the National Motorcycle Museum.

The news release said the museum has contacted the owners of loaned motorcycles and that motorcycles belonging to the Museum "will be liquidated at auction to pay bills," adding that much of the Parhams' personal collection also will be sold.

It said motorcycle enthusiasts who want to be informed about the sale should sign up to receive emails at the museum's website, nationalmcmuseum.org.

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The tentative closure date is Sept. 5, it said, providing an opportunity for final visits, particularly by those heading to the Sturgis rally in August and the annual Chief Blackhawk motorcycle meet in Davenport Sept. 1-3.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Anamosa's National Motorcyle Museum announces plan to close in September