YouTube Premiere:
Mill Talk: WHEEL HERO: Charles H. Metz- inventor of Bicycles, Cars and Motorcycles
Originally presented live on July 12th, 2019, this Mill Talk will be available as part of our on-going YouTube library of digital content
Presented by Bob McGann,
in conjunction with The Waltham Museum
This is the story of Waltham's Charles Herman Metz (1863-1937), a bicycle racer who became an inventor and entrepreneur.
Metz was a visionary who could see that the future of America was on the roads and byways. Originally famous for the Oriten, a sensation-causing 10 person bicycle that toured the country, he went on to build motorcycles and finally a line of Metz automobiles.
He literally got the city moving.
BOB McGANN is a lifelong Waltham resident. His family has a long history of service to the city. The corner of Church and Main is dedicated to his uncle Leo T. McGann while the corner of Church and Summer is dedicated to his father Joseph F. McGann, both WWII veterans and formerWaltham city employees. Bob worked for four years at Rex Trailer's TV studio on Main St. and has produced many shows for the Waltham cable channel including ones on the Waltham Museum and the Gore, Payne and Lyman estates. He has been on the board of the Waltham Museum for the last three years.
This MILL TALK was originally presented to coincide with the Waltham Museum's annual "Metz Meet" - a gathering of Metz automobile owners at the Museum on Saturday, July 13, 2019, to show off their cars. The Waltham Museum is located at 25 Lexington St. in Waltham
This Mill Talk was generously sponsored by The Lowell Institute.
