David Corrigan: Curator of the Museum of Connecticut History. First produced for the Connecticut Explored magazine By the mid-1890’s the bicycle craze in America was beginning to wane and Colonel Albert Pope, who had induced the fad, was actively seeking ways to diversify and maintain his manufacturing empire. Horseless carriages were beginning to be developed in the United States, and Pope and his general manager Geroge H. Day were determined to enter the fledgling business. To that end, in 1895 Pope hired Hiram Percy Maxim (1869-1936) as an engineer to develop the Pope Manufacturing Company’s Columbia Motor-carriage. Both Pope and … Continue reading The Horseless Era Arrives – Pope Manufacturing Company