USA Weightlifting Hall Of Fame
York, Pennsylvania
A 7.5-foot-tall bronze statue of Bob Hoffman, "The Father of World Weightlifting" stands in front of the Y-shaped Hall Of Fame, which stands next to York Barbell's factory. The weightlifter statue on the factory roof no longer rotates, but at least they've left it immobilized in a southerly, photo-friendly direction.
Hoffman was the publisher of Strength And Health and Muscular Development magazines, and founded the York Barbell Company in 1935. He lived into his 90s, and a significant portion of the museum is devoted to him, as is a state historical marker out on Board Rd.
There's not much that's fun here -- mostly old barbells and trophy cups and pictures of grunting weightlifters. Displays of note include a barbell mobile in the lobby; a license plate ripped in half in 1996; the story of Joseph Greenstein, "The Mighty Atom," who finished his act by biting through nails; and the only death mask of Maurice Tillet, "The French Angel," a professional wrestler whose giant head (he suffered from acromegaly, a pathological enlargement of the bones of the face) earned him roles as killers and monsters in Hollywood serials and B-films.