New Mercer Museum exhibit highlights racing history and culture in Bucks
By Samantha Bambino
The Times
There’s just something about the thrill of competition that’s ingrained in us. As humans, we need to be the smartest, strongest and fastest.
Now, this innate desire to win isn’t exactly new, especially in Bucks County. In the 17th century, William Penn could allegedly be found foot-racing the Lenape Indians, while the George School in Newtown boasted one of the area’s first track and field programs in the 1800s.
Bucks County has a rich history and long-standing culture when it comes to racing. To showcase this, the Mercer Museum in Doylestown is presenting the original exhibition Racing: A Need for Speed, chronicling the nearly 300-year span of foot racing, horse racing, cycling and motorsports. On display in the Martin & Warwick Foundation Galleries through Sept. 9, the exhibit features hundreds of racing-related artifacts, personal stories and special programming, all of which are included with museum admission.
According to Cory Amsler, Mercer’s vice president for collections and interpretations, the museum has been acquiring racing-related items as gifts for the past several years, with the majority having strong ties to local staples such as the Langhorne Speedway. He knew these pieces would be the perfect foundation for the exhibit, which draws from more than 60 public and private collections, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
“All of this material hasn’t been brought together in one place before,” he said.
Beginning with Penn’s foot races, Racing: A Need for Speed chronicles the vast history of high-velocity sports in Bucks County and its surrounding areas. Guests can journey to the start of horse racing with an advertisement from 1792 introducing Messenger, an English thoroughbred that stood for stud in Lower Bucks County; the revival of cycling in the 1970s after a rapid decline; and the invention of the gasoline engine for racers who craved higher speeds.
Vintage artifacts include a painted depiction of a trotting race at Philadelphia’s Hunting Park, a 1940s Indian Scout Racing Motorcycle and a version of the Hurst Rescue Tool, better known as the “jaws of life,” which was invented and tested in Warminster in the 1960s.
Several items highlight the late Langhorne Speedway, which served as a major hub for the auto racing world from 1926 to 1971. Mario Andretti’s silver trophy from his 1966 win at Langhorne sits proudly, as well as a set of starter’s flags used by Nick Fornoro, who flagged the last race at the track before it closed.
Throughout the exhibit, personal stories of notable racers who had a local impact in the sport are incorporated into the memorabilia. Making “appearances” are Andretti, who won his first champ car race at Langhorne Speedway; Marty Stern, a Doylestown resident who coached track at Central Bucks East High School, Delaware Valley College and Villanova University to extraordinary success; John Eustace, an Ivyland native and William Tennent alumni who worked as a cycling analyst for the Tour de France from 1992 to 2006 for ESPN and ABC Sports; and Budd Doble, a Bristol native and inductee into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame.
In addition to learning about the accomplishments of these racers, attendees can test their own speed and skill in two racing “try-its” — an interactive high-wheel bicycle sprint and a “drag racers” challenge.
Accompanying Racing: A Need for Speed are special events that dig deeper into racing’s local ties. During Black American Racers on Saturday, June 23, at 2 p.m., guests can meet groundbreaking African American motor racers, including Black Athletes Hall of Famer Leonard Miller. The program includes a preview of a soon-to-be released documentary about Miller, and a panel discussion about his efforts to break the color barrier in motor sports.
Drag Strip Memories takes place Sunday, July 15, at 2 p.m. during which guests can join several drag racers, mechanics and engine builders as they remember the action and atmosphere of local drag strips in the 1950s and 1960s. On Saturday, July 28, at 2 p.m., Dr. Alison Kreitzer, adjunct faculty member at the University of Delaware, will discuss the expansion of automobile racing in Pennsylvania during the first half of the 20th century in ‘The Greatest Show on Dirt:’ Automobile Racing at Langhorne Speedway.
Lastly, Kids Who Race Day will take place Saturday, Aug. 11, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Participants from Boy Scouts of America, the Bucks County Soap Box Derby, and the Oaklane Quarter Midget Club, Trumbauersville, will show how kids in the area race and compete. ••
If you go…
Racing: A Need for Speed runs through Sunday, Sept. 9, at the Mercer Museum, 84 S. Pine St. in Doylestown. The exhibit and its special programs are included with museum admission. Cost is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors (65 and older) and $8 for youth (6–17). The museum is open for self-guided exploration seven days a week. For information, visit mercermuseum.org or call 215–345–0210.
Samantha Bambino can be reached at [email protected]
