A new home for the Duryea
- Details
- Published on Monday, 10 September 2012 15:20
- Written by Paul Gordon
The 1899 Duryea Trap, built in Peoria, will rest permanently in Riverfront Museum
The Duryea Trap, built in 1899 by Charles Duryea in a barn behind his Barker Avenue house, has landed in what will be its final home.
The three-wheeled vehicle, one of the first gasoline-powered vehicles ever built, was moved from the PeoriaNEXT Innovation Center to the museum on Monday, with a pit stop at the Barker Avenue house known as the Duryea Home.
The museum opens Oct. 20.
Charles Duryea died in September 1938 basically penniless, the idea for his automobiles still not the success he'd dreamed of, John Parks said.
But Duryea would likely have been proud on Monday to see his invention, the three-wheeled 1899 Duryea Trap, be moved into the new Peoria Riverfront Museum, which will become its permanent home, said Parks, unquestionable the local authority on Duryea and his brother Frank. The museum is scheduled to open Oct. 20.
"This car is a Peoria icon. It is making its final move today where it will be more visible and accessible to the public. It belongs to Peoria," said Parks, head of the Peoria Regional Museum Society that has owned the Duryea Trap since 1991 and now will donate it to the new museum.
The car made a pit stop between the PeoriaNEXT Innovation Center, its home the last couple years, and the new museum. Parks, dressed in period garb as Duryea, brought the Trap to the former Duryea home on Barker Avenue, where it was built.
It was in a barn behind the house, now owned by Kelly Kolton, that Duryea built the gas-powered vehicle steered with a rudder and drove it on Peoria streets. He even drove it downtown, Parks said. "That means he somehow was able to get the vehicle back up the hill to get back to Barker Avenue. Don't ask me how," he said, chuckling.
The first one was a prototype, Parks said, adding that the Duryea brothers were among the first to produce gasoline powered automobiles around the turn of the last century and that they built 13 or 14 of them in Peoria Heights before moving to the east coast.
Charles Duryea was still trying to sell the rights to the Duryea Trap design when he died in Philadelphia, he added. "He was penniless," he said.
The Trap was restored decades ago by L. Scott Bailey, the founder of Automobile Quarterly. He sold it to the Peoria Regional Museum Society for $125,000 in 1991 and the vehicle has been housed in two locations since. First it was at the Peoria Public Library main branch downtown then at the PeoriaNEXT building when the library underwent renovations.
Parks, who with Peoria artist Elmer King headed up the fundraising campaign called Save The Duryea to raise the money pay for it — a campaign that took five years — said the car was often driven around Peoria when the campaign was going on. "We figured out that probably wasn't good for the car, so we drained it of all its fluids and parked it," he said after the vehicle was unloaded from a trailer in front of the Barker Avenue house.
Kolton was on-hand for the event as were a dozen or so neighborhood residents and curious passersby wondering about the three-wheeled vehicle, the man dressed in an early 20th century costume and media gathered in front of the house. Kolton showed an old photograph taken more than 100 years ago in front of the house that is now kept inside the two-story structure.
After pictures and interviews, the vehicle was loaded back into the trailer for its final journey. Now it will be parked for good, in the new museum near another Peoria icon, the restored old courthouse clock.
Parks said the Duryea has been well cared for but he believes donating it for permanent display at the new museum will enhance its safety and care.
"We hope the Duryea display will be interactive so that people can really learn about its history and that of the Duryea brothers. This car belongs to everyone and we want everyone to get enjoyment from it," he said.
Paul Gordon is editor of The Peorian. He can be reached at 692-7880 or editor@thepeorian.com
