Nieman’s Motorcycle Rentals Home to Weird Artifacts of Old St. Helena | Lifestyles
An embalming table, a dentist’s chair, small and surprisingly large casings, and the remains of crashed planes. What do they have in common?
Not much except that they share a local connection, they each have their own story and they have all found a home at Nieman’s Motorcycle Rentals in downtown St Helena.
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“People come from all over and have so much fun,” said Mike Nieman.
Last year, Nieman acquired a treasure trove of items from the Morrison family, who ran the Morrison Funeral Chapel and an ambulance business. In addition to a table, flasks and tubes used for embalming, the family provided the rotary telephone from the old funeral chapel, an ambulance siren, clocks, a dental chair which they received from a friend and tools that belonged to the late Harley Morrison.
“My dad was fascinated with electronics – radios, stuff like that,” Harold Morrison said of Harley, who died in 1976. “He worked as an electrician in Lodi, wiring houses. He was very good at it.
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There are also memorabilia of the Morrisons’ adventures in aviation. Harold Morrison recalled an occasion when his father took longtime editor Starr Baldwin and his ubiquitous cameras for an aerial tour of the valley.
“Starr was taking pictures with the window open and he lost a lens,” Morrison said. “My dad thought he was going to jump after.”
Aviation is a recurring theme in Nieman’s collection. There are machine guns salvaged from a Navy Skyraider that crashed on Mount St. Helena in 1954 and the twisted control panel of a 1940 Lockheed PV-2 bomber that crashed during an air show in Lakeport in 1990, killing eight people.
“Two divers discovered this 15 years later,” Nieman said. “I found it in a junkyard.”
And, of course, there’s the massive 4,300 horsepower Pratt & Whitney radial aircraft engine that helped power a Cold War-era Convair B-36 bomber. Nieman found it on eBay and periodically turns it on for a curious customer.
When the star recently left the Galleron building, a sign possibly from the Starr Baldwin era was added to Nieman’s collection.
Think of Nieman’s quasi-museum of local artifacts and memorabilia as the unpredictable and eccentrically endearing parent to the narrower St. Helena Historical Society’s heritage center.
“When people come here to look around me, I direct them to the (Heritage Center),” Nieman said. “I think they complement each other.”
Photos: Saint Helena Harvest Festival and Pet Parade, 2021
Jurassic Bark entry to St. Helena Pet Parade
“Jurassic Bark” won Best in Show at Saturday’s Pet Parade, which returned after a year-long hiatus.
Jesse Duarte, star
Halloween crafts
Halloween themed crafts for sale at Harvest Festival.
Jesse Duarte, star
art project
Children decorate pumpkins outside the former St. Helena Catholic School during the Harvest Festival.
Jesse Duarte, star
Grace Weo
Grace Weo sells leather handbags at Harvest Festival.
Jesse Duarte, star
Reed and Wesley Galbraith
Reed and Wesley Galbraith board the St. Helena Fire Department’s vintage Van Pelt fire truck.
Jesse Duarte, star
Valentine’s Entry to Pet Parade
A man throws candy as part of a Valentine’s Day themed entry into the Pet Parade.
Jesse Duarte, star
Saint Helena High School Group
The St. Helena High School band marches in Saturday’s Pet Parade.
Jesse Duarte, star
Animal Parade
Costumed dogs and their costumed owners parade in the Pet Parade.
Jesse Duarte, star
Valentine’s Entry to Pet Parade
A woman blows kisses as part of a Valentine’s Day themed entry into the Pet Parade.
Jesse Duarte, star
Daniel Hamlin, St. Helena Odd Fellows
Daniel Hamlin of the St. Helena Odd Fellows grills burgers and hot dogs during the Harvest Festival.
Jesse Duarte, star
Girl Scouts
Members of Girl Scouts Troop 10688 of Saint Helena sold frescoes of aguas and shaved ice during Saturday’s harvest festival. From left to right, Scoutmaster Norma Ferriz, Dianet Infante, Carolina Cuaxilo, Jennifer Jacinto and Sophia Silva.
Jesse Duarte, star
Child looking for sweets
A child picks up candy scattered on Oak Avenue during the Pet Parade.
Jesse Duarte, star
Saint Helena Fire Department at Harvest Festival
Firefighter Sebastian Segura gives a Saint Helena Fire Department sticker to a child during the harvest festival.
Jesse Duarte, star
Noema
The Noema group performs at the Harvest Festival.
Jesse Duarte, star
Balloons
A clown produces balloon animals at the Harvest Festival.
Jesse Duarte, star
Animal Parade
A dog dressed as a peacock – this must be the St. Helena Pet Parade.
Jesse Duarte, star
Cornhole
Children play cornhole on Tainter Street during the Harvest Festival.
Jesse Duarte, star
Sherri Gallagher
Sherri Gallagher sells jewelry at Harvest Festival.
Jesse Duarte, star
Saint Helena Heritage Center
A couple consults a 1915 map of Napa County showing the names of each owner. The map is on display at the new St. Helena Historical Society Heritage Center.
Jesse Duarte, star
Coca-Cola entry in Pet Parade
The girls parade in a Coca-Cola themed entry into the Pet Parade.
Jesse Duarte, star
Glass artist Krista Flood
Glass artist Krista Flood talks to a customer during the Harvest Festival.
Jesse Duarte, star
Animal Parade
A couple and their dog are dressed for an Oktoberfest during the Pet Parade.
Jesse Duarte, star
You can reach Jesse Duarte at 967-6803 or [email protected]
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