It's World Bicycle Day! Today, lots of people enjoy riding their bikes around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, but did you know that it was also a popular biking destination more than 100 years ago? During the “cycling craze” of the late-19th and early-20th centuries, many folks from Boston and beyond would come to the reservoir to bike or even race! One type of early bicycle was called the penny-farthing or high wheeler. It had a unique design which featured one large wheel in the front and a much smaller wheel in the back. While popular, penny-farthings could, unfortunately, be quite dangerous and, although there are those who still enjoy riding these unusual bicycles today, safety bicycles, which look more like modern bicycles, ultimately won out, as they presented a safer and more accessible alternative. Image from the May 31, 1879 issue of Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper https://archive.org/details/ZUJaAAAAYAAJ/page/n411/mode/2up #WorldBicycleDay #ChestnutHillReservoir #Metrowaterworks #PennyFarthing (fb)

Celebrate Pride at the Waterworks! TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY, join us from 11am to 3pm at the Waterworks Museum as we celebrate PRIDE Month with some fun (and colorful) activities! Make a tie-dye bandana or hair-tie to take home! Activities are FREE of charge. Suggested Donation, $5. Please help us monitor capacity by reserving your FREE tickets today: https://www.eventbrite.com/.../pride-at-the-waterworks... We hope to see you there! #Metrowaterworks #happypridemonth🌈 #Boston #Brighton #Brookline #Newton #ChestnutHill #Museum #Event #Tiedye (fb)