December Program

Join us for this month’s program on December 6th at 7 pm.

to learn all about Charles Duryea and his innovations in the automotive industry.

Though his name is mostly forgotten outside of automotive enthusiast

circles, Charles Duryea was a notable pioneer in the industry. Along

with his brother Frank, he built, in 1892, the first production car in

the United States. Three years later, their Duryea car would go on to

earn international acclaim by winning the first ever official

automobile race in the U.S. Following a tumultuous fallout with his

brother, Charles would come to Reading, PA and, later, Philadelphia, to

build Duryea autos, several of which are on display at the Boyertown

Museum of Historic Vehicles. This program, “Charles Duryea: Automotive

Innovation and Stubbornness,” will cover his beginnings in the bicycle

industry, fascinating details of that first car race, and his time in

Pennsylvania developing what he believed “a motor vehicle should be.”