History
The museum in the Hockanum Mill, a 207-year-old textile mill that had been abandoned in 1951. In 2013, Ken Kaplan, founder of the museum, purchased the 11-acre property and began to restore to use to house his computer company and motorcycle dealership, and to establish a motorcycle museum. The restoration of the building took just under seven years. The exterior and interior of the building had to be restored, and debris on the property had to be removed. Fifteen 50-gallon drums of lead paint chips and arsenic were removed from the building. Over $6.5 million has been spent on opening the museum, including $4 million in state loans and donations from the Town of Vernon. The museum grand opening was held on August 25, 2018.Collection
The New England Motorcycle Museum has nearly 200 vintage motorcycles, dating from 1920 to 2021, making the museum the largest collection of vintage motorcycles in the Northeast, and one of the largest motorcycle museums in the country. The museum contains motorcycle memorabilia as well as a motorcycle library.References
{{reflist, refs= {{cite web , last1=Vasile , first1=Zachary , title=Motorcycle museum to open doors Saturday , url=https://www.journalinquirer.com/connecticut_and_region/motorcycle-museum-to-open-doors-saturday/article_83268ed8-a79e-11e8-8a86-d359273833ba.html , publisher=Journal Inquirer , access-date=13 December 2020 {{cite web , last1=Buckler , first1=Matt , title=Rockville's Ken Kaplan gets his own Discovery show , url=https://www.journalinquirer.com/living/bucklers_airtime/rockvilles-ken-kaplan-gets-his-own-discovery-show/article_c7ac96d8-f297-11ea-aa95-e7a8be8b8f81.html , access-date=13 December 2020 {{cite web , last1=Dehnel , first1=Chris , title=Vernon {{as written, Moto, rcyle ic} Business Featured On Discovery Channel Show , url=https://patch.com/connecticut/vernon/vernon-motorcyle-business-featured-discovery-channel-show , access-date=13 December 2020 {{cite web , last1=Altman , first1=Jim , title=Motorcycle museum set to open in Rockville , url=https://www.fox61.com/article/news/local/outreach/awareness-months/motorcycle-museum-set-to-open-in-rockville/520-5b2d2ab4-6661-4cf9-b9a7-c36b5caa2fd6 , website=fox61.com , publisher=Fox61 , access-date=12 December 2020 {{cite web , title=Hockanum Mill - Vernon , url=https://portal.ct.gov/DECD/Content/Community-Development/05_Sucess_Stories/Hockanum-Mill---Vernon , website=ct.gov , publisher=Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development , access-date=12 December 2020 {{cite web , title=New England Motorcycle Museum , url=https://www.gluseum.com/US/Rockville/341594509324474/New-England-Motorcycle-Museum , publisher=Gluseum , access-date=12 December 2020 {{cite web , title=New England Motorcycle Museum In Home Stretch , url=https://ride-ct.com/new-england-motorcycle-museum-in-home-stretch/ , publisher=RIDE-CT , access-date=13 December 2020 {{cite web , title=New England Motorcycle Museum Stalled , url=https://ride-ct.com/new-engand-motorcycle-museum-stalled/ , publisher=RIDE-CT , access-date=13 December 2020 {{cite web , title=New England Motorcycle Museum Finally Opens , url=https://ride-ct.com/new-england-motorcycle-museum-finally-opens/ , website=ride-ct.com , publisher=RIDE-CT , access-date=12 December 2020 {{cite web , title=New England Motorcycle Museum , url=https://www.newenglandmotorcyclemuseum.org/ , publisher=New England Motorcycle Museum , access-date=14 December 2020 {{cite web , last1=Dunne , first1=Susan , title=A Look At Six Of The 200 Bikes You'll Find At Connecticut's New England Motorcycle Museum , url=https://www.courant.com/ctnow/arts-theater/hc-fea-motorcycle-museum-rockville-20180924-story.html , website=courant.com , publisher=Hartford Courant , access-date=12 December 2020 Museums in Tolland County, Connecticut Museums established in 2018 Motorcycle museums in the United States