Downtown in New Haven in South Central Region, Connecticut — The American Northeast (New England)
The Dawn of Cycling
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In July of 1865 Pierre L'allement left his native France for America with the makings of a primitive iron bicycle in tow. That fall the 22-year-old mechanic settled in Ansonia about 12 miles west of here. The following April he rode his invention from that town to this Green where he introduced the art of cycling to the American public. In November he was awarded a U.S. patent, the world's first complete specification of a bicycle.
"He may well be placed in the list of inventors in the industrial and mechanical arts and remembered as longs as the bipedaliterous wheel continues to revolve. Let it be remembered too as America shares with France the distinction of having introduced the bicycle to the world."Charles E. Platt, 1st President of the League of American Wheelmen, founded 1880
[Captions:]
Pierre L'allement, Born 1843, Pont a Mousson France, Died 1891 Boston USA
Drawing from the original US Patent 59.915, November 20, 1866
Erected 1998 by L'allement Memorial Committee, Club Cyclotouriste Mussipontain, The Wheelmen.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Immigration
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Location. 41° 18.443′ N, 72° 55.705′ W. Marker is in New Haven in South Central Region, Connecticut. It is in Downtown. It is at the intersection of Chapel Street and College Street, on the left when traveling east on Chapel Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 990 Chapel Street, New Haven CT 06510, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Connecticut River Valley and on the Connecticut Shoreline. It is also in the American Northeast, in New England, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Haven County and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Welcome to the New Haven Green (here, next to this marker); Connecticut Hall (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Roger Sherman Homesite (about
Credits. This page was last revised on May 19, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 1, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 323 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 1, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
