Many fans of Harley-Davidson motorcycles know that the company was founded by William Harley and the three Davidson brothers in Milwaukee in 1903. But few that the ancestral Davidson family home—a humble stone cottage in Scotland—is restored as a museum and a common pilgrimage for European motorheads. But it was almost torn down forever.

In 2012, the cottage was restored as a museum showing life in mid-1800s Scotland. That’s when the Davidsons moved from Angus to Milwaukee. But the owners of the museum must have had second thoughts because by 2024, they planned to sell the property to developers. The developers were going to level the stone cottage to make room for modern buildings. 

 Harley Davidson enthusiasts and fans of Scottish history banded together to form the  “Davidson Legacy Cottage” nonprofit. Then they took to GoFundMe. The group pointed out that it is already too late to save the ancestral home of William Harleys in Littleport, England. It explained its objective, “is to save it from development and create and maintain the historical visitor attraction to tell the story of the Davidson family and life in Scotland in the 1800’s…Together, we can ensure that the historic home remains a cherished part of our community for years to come.”

Enthusiasts and fans rallied to the cause. The campaign got 234 individual donations: from five pounds to anonymous 6,000 and 8,000 pound donations. In the end, the Harley-Davidson company came through and cut a big enough check to make sure the nonprofit hit its goal. The UK Government then matched the donations with a grant from its Community Ownership Fund.

While Harley-Davidson isn’t interested in owning the cottage, it was proud to reveal its new Sportser at the family home. You can see that video below: