I want to start out by thanking everyone who has helped us promote our new Facebook Page. I created it less than 48 hours ago, and we already have just over 300 followers. Still a far cry from the 2,500 we had on the old page, but it is at least a good start. We will continue to do what we can to get the word out.

While we haven’t been active on Facebook the last month, things have still been busy at the museum. Today, I would like to highlight several items that have been recently donated to us.

Two music boxes came to us from a woman who is in the process of selling her house in Perryville.

After some internet sluething, I discovered this was invented by Elias Needham around 1877. Here is a copy of his patent application.

My sleuthing has not uncovered the answer to a question I had when I saw this for the first time: Why the name casket? If anyone can enlighten me, I would love to know.

She also brought in another music box that came about a little bit later in the 1890’s. This one is from the Regina Music Company.

Google AI gave me the following:

Regina music boxes are musical instruments that play music using a punched metal disc to pluck a tuned comb:

1. The disc has holes that engage with a gear’s teeth.
2. The gear plucks the comb’s teeth at the right rhythm and pitch to create music.
3. The comb is tuned to a precise musical pitch. 

Here are some other things to know about Regina music boxes:

• Design: Regina music boxes were made by the Regina Company in the late 1800s. They were known for their rich tone and came in a variety of models, including tabletop boxes and cabinets.
• Size: Regina music boxes ranged from 8.5 to 27 inches in size.
• Features: Some models had a double comb, automatic disc changer, or were coin-operated.
• Popularity: Regina music boxes were considered high-quality instruments and were purchased by wealthy people for their homes.
• Collectors’ interest: Original discs are highly sought after by collectors, and some companies make new discs that meet the original specifications. 

Unfortunately, neither of these music boxes currently work. If you are interested, a quick YouTube search will bring up examples of what these would sound like if they did work.

The next item to come in is this Marriage Certificate. The lady who brought it in bought it at the St. Mary’s Anitique Shop over 40 years ago. She had done some German translation work on certificates prior to this, but she was most taken by the fact that Hamm (the pastor’s name) was a family name of hers. She never did find out if he was a relation or not.

She was quite ecstatic to find out that this certificate has particular significance. This wedding was the first one recorded at Zion Lutheran Church in Longtown. Whether or not it was indeed the first wedding performed is up for debate. Warren has written a blog about the history of this church which brings up the debate: https://lutheranmuseum.com/2022/07/19/zion-longtowns-125th/. He wrote about this couple in this post: https://lutheranmuseum.com/2017/06/14/longtowns-hair-hacker-the-next-generation-funke-haircuts/

The final recent acquisition was quite timely as it came in the day after the East Perry Fair.

Being a newcomer to East Perry County, I don’t know a lot about the history of this band. I was not here when an older gentleman and his daughter brought this in, but he was a member of the band and was able to identify all of those pictured. If you were in the band at some point, or remember hearing them play at the fair, I would love to hear your stories.

I heard Jim Lichtenegger, our board president, say the other day that our museum is not a “static” museum; we always have new things to see. If you haven’t been here in a while, now is a good time to visit. We’re open everyday 10-4 and admission is free. See you soon!