Eastern Iowa Museum Says Goodbye After More Than 20 Years [PHOTOS]

Anamosa residents, motorcycle enthusiasts, and Iowans across the state had to say goodbye to a museum that spent 20+ years in Eastern Iowa. The National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa has officially closed its doors for good, with its last day being this past Labor Day.

The National Motorcycle Museum could be considered a bit of a time capsule for just about anyone. Whether you're interested in riding, the history of motorcycles or you're just a fan of history in general, this museum sure had one heck of a collection. You could travel back in time to the very beginning of motorcycles and see firsthand some of the earliest bikes. The museum did a fantastic job of showcasing just how much motorcycles have changed over the course of time.

KCRG reports that the non-profit museum dealt with financial struggles, which worsened with the pandemic. On Labor Day (September 4), there were visitors who traveled hundreds of miles to catch one last glimpse of history with the museum seeing close to 1,000 visitors on the museum's last day.

Jill Parham is the chairman of the Board of Directors for the museum and she told KCRG there were visitors who stopped by that were from different countries and people had traveled hundreds of miles to say goodbye. She's also going to split up her late husband's collection and begin a new chapter of her life.

They’re coming from all over, even from other countries. I am splitting up my husband’s collection. I’m going to have a new chapter in my life that I don’t know how to handle, but I’m looking forward to it.

It's going to be one heck of a collection try and split up due to the fact that the museum was home to over 500 motorcycles and thousands of pieces of memorabilia, according to the National MC Museum.

There have been motorcycles loaned to the museum, which the owners have been contacted about the closure and the motorcycles owned by the museum will be liquidated at an auction to pay bills. Most of the Parham collection will also be sold during this process.

The pieces that are being auctioned by the museum will be located in the tent next to the museum and the tent is open on September 6th. The auction process will run from September 7th to September 9th.

It's a sad day for many motorcycle enthusiasts around the world as it feels like Iowa is losing a little piece of history.