The Hall Bicycle Company

Hall Bicycle Company, c 1903

"When I reached Cedar Rapids my bicycle needed attention more seriously than at any previous time, and this was not to be wondered at, for it had carried me more than 2,300 miles. I went to a bicycle store on Second Avenue where I soldered the loose sprocket lock nut on to the hub. My handlebars were cracked near the head, where holes are drilled for the wires, so I brazed a piece of reinforcing onto them." George A. Wyman, Through the Valleys of the Two Great Rivers to Chicago, The Motorcycle Magazine, September 1903

That tidbit of information led the Project to research the name of the "Second Avenue" bicycle store in Cedar Rapids.  It was a delight to discover that the Hall Bicycle Company is today still a thriving business.  We reached out to the current owner, Karl Moscrip, is the grandson of a man who worked for the original owner at the time of Wyman's visit on Tuesday, June 16, 1903.  The original shop was located at 108 Second Avenue but has since moved to 419 Second Ave.  None the less, it represents an enrichment of the Wyman narrative and is a significant connection.

The Project reached out to the Hall Bicycle Company and received this replay from its current owner, Karl Moscrip.

Mr. Masterson-

Yes, I believe that the bicycle shop mentioned would be Hall Bicycle. Ed Hall started the business in 1898, and the store would have been located 108 2nd Ave at that time. The shop has moved twice since then, but we are still on 2nd Ave, just several blocks from the original location. The 108 address is now a ten story office building. My grandfather went to work for Ed Hall in 1912, and purchased the business in 1929.
I would be honored to receive the plaque to place on our building.

Please let me know if there is anything else you need from me.

Thank you,

Karl Moscrip
Owner
Hall Bicycle Company
419 2nd Ave SE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52401

While on the Ground Tour scouting mission I stopped at the Hall Bicycle Company to meet Mr. Moscrip.  He was most enthusiastic about the Wyman connection and was pleased to accept our invitation to mount a Wyman Memorial plaque on the outside of his establishment.