by Richard DeSorgher
During the month of August, the Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) bike ride takes place passing through Medfield and finishing on Cape Cod. Medfield serves as a key town on the PMC route, acting as a crucial checkpoint, water stop and transit point for thousands of cyclists traveling through Massachusetts. Dozens of Medfield residents participate, the high school hosts a water stop, local residents come and cheer on the riders and Medfield police manage traffic through the center of town.
Medfield actually has a long history concerning bicycles and races. The town’s history with bike races goes back to the late 1800s. Starting in 1898, one year after the start of the Boston Marathon, Medfield began a tradition of holding a bicycle race on Patriots Day, each April 19. The popularity of bicycles began to increase in our country in the late 1890s as it became a popular amusement that most Americans at the time could afford. By 1900 over one million bicycles were sold in this country. Here in Medfield by 1900, reflecting the bicycle craze across the country, a half dozen Medfield store windows displayed bicycles for sale. The photo you see was taken on Patriots’ Day, 1900 and shows more than 5,000 people from Medfield and surrounding towns that came to watch the 10-mile bicycle race with a field of 100 riders.
The photo was taken from the window of Town Hall showing the crowds along Main Street watching the end of the 10-mile race. On the far left one can see part of the Baptist Church. The large wooden building on the left/center is where Brothers Marketplace is today. The wooden building in the photo is depicted in the mural painted on the South Street side of Brothers Market Place, showing the location of the former Lord’s before the wooden building was torn down in 1957. The building to the right still stands. It is the DeVasto Block and its second floor is the present Zullo Art Gallery and Center for the Arts. Store fronts later added house today’s Casabella Pizza, the Medfield Barber Shop and Michael Absi Jeweler. Note the beautiful trees that once graced Main Street.
The Patriot’s Day Bicycle Races became an annual main stay in Medfield. The races began in front of town hall, went down South Street to Philip Street, down Philip Street to Foundry Street, along Nebo Street and then out to Main Street. It continued down Main Street back to Town Hall. The route was repeated three times for a total of 10 miles. The winning time of the 1900 race, 126 years ago, was 27 minutes and 33 seconds and was won by Albert Hoyle of Lowell. Second place was C. Wiley of New York, third place J. Dreckjost of South Boston, fourth place F. Foster of Framingham and fifth place E. Desmond of Framingham.
Happy Patriots Day!
