About The Pennsmen

History of The Pennsmen, Inc.

It’s January 1977 in a small apartment on 2nd Street in Harrisburg, PA. A group of 13 men have come together to form a social organization for individuals interested in leather and the leather lifestyle. These men had nothing to guide them but the organizations they have seen in other cities, as well as their own thoughts and desires. They started a group that has become one of the strongest organizations within the Harrisburg Gay Community. Among the early members were such men as: Jim Lawlor, Jesse Lowe, Al Allen, Dr. George Smith, Butch Peffley, Reed Stacchin, Earl Lehigh, Tom Nash, Gary Norton, Ralph Blose and Dave Moser.

Dave was already a member of the Spartan Motorcycle club in the DC area, in addition to being the gentleman who designed the clubs colors. The club spent endless hours making spaghetti sauce and noodles for numerous spaghetti dinners to raise money needed to purchase their first set of colors. The basic design of the colors was set with a keystone shield edged in gold, the capitol dome and sword to represent the capital city of Harrisburg, and two spears crossed to represent the York and Lancaster cities. The club also decided to include a white and red rose to identify the York and Lancaster cities. After much debate and heated discussion, it was agreed to place the roses at the hilt of the sword. Stretched across the bottom of the design is a chain of 13 links, which represents the original 13 members. The colors are a living symbol to these 13 courageous men and are easily recognizable in any leather crowd.

As the club grew and evolved, the men decided to join the Atlantic Motorcycle Coordinating Council, which was a new entity in itself at the time. This helped coordinate their events with other clubs on the east coast, as well as to network and add to their range of leather brethren. During that period, the AMCC required a club to be in existence for 2 years before they could be considered for membership. At a meeting held in New York City in 1978, our friends, the Spartan MC of DC, nominated us for AMCC membership. This was followed by a second, from the Centaurs of DC. The club was easily voted into membership before their 2 year anniversary and has been a loyal and strong member of AMCC since.

Over the years, the membership has attend numerous runs, been involved with the Leather/Levi weekends held at Hillside Campground in Northern, PA, and has held overnight sleepovers at Altland’s Ranch outside of York, PA. More recently, we also have our Keystone Capital Run, held at the end of February, annually. As members age and new members join the club, it is constantly evolving and remains a strong force in the Harrisburg Gay Community. In addition to the groups ongoing service to the Harrisburg Gay Community, we continue to outreach in AIDS education through participation in the monthly Sharing Our Caring dinners, and focusing on the leather alternative within the Harrisburg community.