The Pope Manufacturing Company was founded in 1877 for the manufacture of bicycles by Col. Albert Pope, an American Civil War veteran. Pope contracted the Weed Sewing Machine Co. of Hartford Connecticut to manufacture his Columbia bicycle which was based on the Duplex Excelsior model produced by Bayliss Thomas of the UK. His initial run of 50 bicycles for model year 1878 appear to have been Bayliss Thomas machines that were private labeled as a Columbia. Pope began his own manufacture of the Columbia in 1879 producing 1,049 machines the first year. This example is serial number 984.
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